Council Upgrades and Repairs
Cessnock Road Crew to the rescue
Cagneys Crossing
With roads severely damaged by heavy rain and floods throughout the Wollombi Valley, Cessnock Council’s Road Crews were busy.
Like many other neighbourhoods, Upper Yango Creek Road was badly impacted. A very large washout in a section of road opposite the Hawthorn homestead was so big, Council displayed it as the header for their Flood Page at the time.
At The Narrows, at 576/553, where the road is sandwiched between the creek and a rockface, the floodwaters severely impacted the steep embankment leaving the road above too dangerous to drive through. It required a major fix with Council installing a 4 metre high concrete block retaining wall.
At the junction of North and South Arm roads, the creek crossing was a complete washout. It marks the end of Council’s road responsibility. And thankfully, they saw it as their duty to address the last huddle.
Other sections of road were turned into quagmires that were impossible to safely transit.
Hawthorns Washout
Quagmire
The Narrows
Work begins on The Narrows where the road was in danger of collapse and the Finchley Causeway.
At the Finchley Causeway at the junction of the Finchley Track at the base of Finchley Hill, the culverts became blocked by debris and the fast-flowing water carved an alternative route around the concrete deck, cutting off all vehicular traffic and reducing passage to a narrow plank.
The Upper Yango community was enormously grateful to the Road Crew, showing their appreciation with a pizza and non-alcoholic lunch hosted by Steve Oliver (553), Rob Bennett (477) and Ian Hawthorn (736). And a reminder that the crews are at the mercy of management, just like us. We suggest a nice gesture of gratitude goes a long way in the Bush.
