Nicholls Road Mardan has been closed, adjacent to Mayalls Road, to all through traffic due to a culvert failure resulting in significant scouring under the road pavement.
Nicholls Road Mardan has been closed, adjacent to Mayalls Road, to all through traffic due to a culvert failure resulting in significant scouring under the road pavement. The scouring has produced a cavity over four metres deep that is slowly increasing in size. The problem has been assessed by a Council Engineer who determined that the cavity presented an unacceptable risk to the safety of road users. The road will remain closed until the culvert can be replaced and the road repaired.
The culvert crosses the road junction at an angle of roughly 45 degrees and the enters the road quite low down. The eroded hole however, comes all the way up to the road and only a very narrow section of asphalt and dirt lies above the hole. The asphalt already shows signs of cracking so any traffic over the hole would no doubt collapse the road into the hole. It was not clear how far beneath the road the hole extended or whether there were other eroded spaces further in that could not be seen from the side of the road.
South Gippsland Shire Council’s Manager Operations, Fred Huitema said that the closure was unfortunate but necessary to ensure safety.
“Closing a road – even temporarily – is a last resort for Council. We examined a number of alternatives including lane closures, limiting access and increased traffic control, but ultimately the safety risk was too high for the road to remain open.
“We were particularly concerned as heavy rainfall is expected over the coming days which is likely to impact the damaged culvert and could potentially increase the size of the cavity. We understand that this will be frustrating for local road users and will try to complete the repair works as soon as possible,” said Mr. Huitema.
Residents of Nicholls Road, emergency services and transport companies have been notified of the road closure. Anyone with concerns is asked to contact Council on 5662 9200.
Road closures on Wild Dog Valley Road and Mount Eccles Road remain in place until the landslip repair works are undertaken.
Grand Ridge Road remains open but with traffic management measures and a reduced width through the landslip affected area.
Council are ready to award contracts for the repair works, but still require approval from Emergency Management Victoria, to ensure eligibility for reimbursement through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Approval is expected soon.
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