Residents and business owners are calling for Cessnock City Council to urgently upgrade Old North Road at Rothbury after several properties were "locked in" for almost four days following a deluge in late July.
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Floodwater cut off the Black Creek causeway at the eastern end of the road on the night of Sunday, July 26, and a culvert near the intersection of Sweetwater Road was also flooded that night, effectively trapping more than 30 businesses and private residences until the road reopened last Thursday morning.
Ross McDonald - who owns Macquariedale Organic Wines on Sweetwater Road - said the causeway is particularly dangerous.
"Black Creek drains the whole of the catchment of Cessnock - it takes an enormous amount of water," he said.
"It becomes a real safety issue. The dip floods quite significantly.
"Quite a few cars have washed away there - I've pulled people out of there before.
"That rain event took place after dark, you don't realise how deep it is."
The causeway flooded in February, March and July this year, but residents say during non-drought conditions it goes under about once a month, for two-to-three days at a time.
Mr McDonald said along with the flooding issues, the condition of the road - which is unsealed until it meets the Singleton Shire boundary - is also of great concern.
Under its existing unsealed roads policy, Cessnock council will only consider tarring gravel roads if an external funding grant is received and it has been identified for works within the council's 10-year strategic plan, or if the property owner is prepared to pay the whole cost.
Works on Old North Road were part of Cessnock and Singleton's joint application to the Resources for Regions program for the Hermitage Road upgrade in 2014, but that component was eventually removed from the submission due to the low cost-benefit ratio.
Cessnock council submitted the Old North Road upgrade to the Resources for Regions program in 2016, but was knocked back again.
A council spokesperson said the estimated cost to upgrade the road is $9 million, and that no further grant applications have been made, primarily due to the low cost-benefit ratio of the project.
The council has developed a preliminary concept design for a bridge at the causeway, but at 450 metres long, it too would have a low cost-benefit ratio.
The Around Hermitage Association - which has been campaigning for Old North Road to be upgraded for about 15 years - would like to see council make the road a priority once again with a "shovel-ready" plan.
Committee member Vicci Lashmore-Smith said upgrading the road would provide benefits for tourism, and may attract more businesses - and therefore, ratepayers - to the area.
"We appreciate that council has a huge road network to support, but we are talking about NSW's second-most visited region outside of Sydney, and we need to have infrastructure in place to showcase the area," she said.
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
