A well-known road that winds up the Blackall Range will be closed until the end of the year for extensive landslip repair works.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has confirmed a 400m stretch of Palmwoods-Montville Road will be shut to all traffic until late this year, weather permitting.
Detours via Hunchy Road and Razorback Road will be in place while works are undertaken.
TMR said the works, which are at the western end of the road closest to Montville, were being undertaken to repair embankments that were damaged by severe weather events in 2024-25.
The works include clearing, excavation and rock scaling; rockfill installation and drainage works; gabion (rock cage) installation, soil nailing and shotcreting; guardrail installation; and pavement and sealing works.
“Due to the narrow road and terrain, a 400m section of the road must be fully closed to all traffic to accommodate the machinery needed to complete these works,” a TMR project flyer said.
“During works heavy machinery including excavators, concrete trucks and mobile cranes will be accessing the work site under traffic control via Balmoral Road.
“Nearby residents may experience noise, vibration and dust from construction activities.
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“Motorists will need to allow for additional travel time due to the detour and are reminded to drive to the changed traffic conditions, obey signage and reduced speed limits.
“Emergency services will still be able to access Palmwoods-Montville Road from either side of the road closure.”
Works on the road, which is also known as Woombye-Montville Road, started in June and are being undertaken as part of a broader program of repairs across the region.
“These works, delivered by a TMR contractor, include more than 200 batter slope/embankment repairs across North Coast region, caused by flooding and rain events,” a spokesperson said.
“TMR routinely inspects all assets including roads, drainage and batter slopes within the network to identify any potential risk to road users at the earliest possible opportunity. This also includes actively monitoring slopes that are identified as being at risk.”
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Works are expected to take place Monday to Friday between 6.30am and 6.30pm.
The project is jointly funded by the state and federal governments through Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
