Byron Shire Council today (13 February) closed The Pocket Road due to the risk of a major culvert failure following rapidly rising water levels from the major rain event currently impacting the area.

The steel culvert structure is located between 860 and 879 The Pocket Road, approximately 8.1 KM from Billinudgel Road and 2.4km from Main Arm Road.

The closure follows an assessment, which determined that the structure faces a high risk of collapse during major rain events where water is passing over the structure at increased speeds.

“Overnight, more than 100 mm of rain fell in under three hours (calculated at the Helen Street Bridge gauge). Several causeways and culverts across the shire are now overtopping and already unsafe to cross,” Phil Holloway, Director Infrastructure Services, said.

“The rainfall we’ve had overnight has indicated the risk of collapse is too significant, and if we don’t act early, we can’t guarantee the safety of nearby residents and infrastructure,” Mr Holloway, said.

The road will be closed until this rain event passes, which is anticipated to be Monday morning. Council engineers will inspect the site as soon as conditions allow. Barriers and signage are in place, and the community is asked to use alternative routes. Local traffic may access the area, but residents should take the safest available route and avoid the affected structure.

“The good news is that this structure will be fixed as soon as a design is finished, with works completed before July this year,” Mr Holloway, said.

Unfortunately, this cycle of opening and closing will have to take place until these structural works are completed.

“We know the closure of The Pocket Road will be very disruptive to our community, but we cannot open the road again until we know it is safe,” Mr Holloway said.

Council urges all road users to avoid the area and never drive through floodwaters.

The SES has issued a Flood Watch for parts of Byron Shire. Visit the Byron Shire Emergency Dashboard to keep an eye on alerts form SES, BOM, LiveTraffic and more.