Richmond Valley Council’s Councillors, Executive and Staff regularly explored and advocated for a solution resulting in the successful completion of the Naughtons Gap Road project – a significant infrastructure upgrade made necessary by the landslip damage in March 2021, compounded by the 2022 flood events. The weather events and condition of the road required its closure to prevent public access.

Regional Geotechnical Solutions was commissioned to provide an assessment and options report. The report addressed available information from published sources, previous geotechnical reports, surveys, monitoring, and aerial imagery of the affected section and appraised potential methods of rehabilitation or reinstating the road.   

Eight options were presented to Transport for NSW, with Option 1 being the preferred option. This involved excavating the existing formation and rebuilding it in the current formation with socketed bored pile support.   

Council was delighted to award Civil Mining & Construction Pty Ltd as the successful tenderer for these works at the September 2023 Council Ordinary Meeting. These works are fully funded through NSW Disaster Assistance Arrangements managed and approved by Transport for NSW.  

The $16 million project was funded through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Works commenced in February 2024 and were completed in December 2024. Material recovered from the landslip was reused on other local projects, saving an estimated $2.4 million in disposal costs.

To celebrate the reopening, a community event was held on Friday 6 December 2024. With Naughtons Gap Road now open to traffic, residents and visitors are enjoying improved travel times and increased resilience to future natural disasters.