Anyone who drives along Tweed Street, Dunoon Road and Alexandra Parade in North Lismore would know it is in diabolical condition, especially Alexandra Parade near the viaduct around the showgrounds.

It is not only a necessary road for our villages in the north, such as The Channon, Dunoon and Modanville, it is well used for people using the Lismore Showgrounds for annual events, like Gemfest, the Lismore Show and now Primex in 2026, plus the weekly Farmers Market, speedway and go-kart club.

We can add the cattle sale yard trade each week, the pending construction of the new Richmond River High School, and the 85 lots to be built at the North Lismore Plateau as part of the Resilient Lands Program.

There is no doubt it needs a permanent fix, as patch jobs only help in the short term before further rainfall and traffic bring it back to a dangerous condition.

Lismore City Council are preparing a grant application for the Federal Government for up to $5 million to implement a concept plan they have developed for the three road corridors.

To give the application more chance of success, Council want the community to get behind it and complete a short online survey. If Council can present an application with over 1,000 signatures, it may just tip the approval scales in its favour, and ahead of the many other council's looking for road funding.

“There is no sugar-coating this. These are among the worst two roads in our local government area, and the disaster funding we received after the 2022 flood, doesn’t go far enough for the work that is needed,” Mayor Steve Krieg said.

“Dunoon Road connects the communities at The Channon, Dunoon and Modenville with Lismore. In 2023, there were an average of 3,038 daily traffic movements, with 7.7% of them heavy traffic.

“This will only increase when Richmond River High is opened and the North Lismore Plateau adds hundreds of new housing lots to the area.

“I know that the community just wants our roads fixed. So do I, and that’s why we are asking the community to tell the Government how bad these roads are. Our rate base is simply not enough for Council to pay for the additional work.

“We will be completing some works around the Showground ahead of the Primex Field Days in May, but simply fixing the potholes is no longer a sustainable option.”

The proposed project will upgrade Tweed Street from Terania Street intersection through to the second roundabout as part of the North Lismore Plateau development.

Specifically, Tweed Street and Terania Street intersection to be upgraded; new shared path along Tweed Street; Tweed Street to be widened and upgraded; Lake Street entrance to be upgraded and sealed; Alexandra Parade/Tweed Street/Dunoon Road intersection to be upgraded with a roundabout; provisions for a future carpark on the south-west corner of Tweed Street / Alexandra Parade to be designed; Alexandra Parade to the viaduct upgrade – eastern side; Alexandra Parade to end of cattle sale yards to be upgraded and sealed; Dunoon Road to the second roundabout to be upgraded; Dunoon Road third roundabout and shared path along Dunoon Road.

Council's Manager of Road Planning, Lyla Nolan, talked about the lack of lane delineation, lack of parking, the lack of a road verge, and the lack of a footpath for people who park on Tweed Street and walk along the road to the showgrounds. Dunoon Road is also designated as the last road exit in the event of an emergency.

"This is marked as the last road out at the northern end, where the third roundabout is at this stage, we're looking to see whether we can raise the road there. There would be flood modelling that would have to be undertaken as well, but it could just be some upsizing of some culverts up that end again, having the shared path that goes from the top end of the project all the way down."

Locals know only too well that the social and economic impact of fixing the roads at the Tweed Street/Dunoon Road corridor would be huge. Everyone can increase the chance of success for the Federal Government grant application by taking the short 5-minute survey by clicking here.