The closure of Terania Street at 7 o'clock last night because of damage to the rail bridge has two local North Lismore businesses up in arms and looking for answers.

Brad and Kerena Baker from Pro Hunt Outfitters and Fuel and Sharon Madden from the Independent Liberty on Terania Street say they were only told on Thursday afternoon when a Department of Transport NSW representative came into their businesses and gave them a letter.

Brad and Sharon had both heard rumours of Terania Street closing but after contacting Lismore City Council, put it down as purely rumour.

"I was told by council that there is nothing on their records, nothing to show that anything's happening in Terania Street. They would have to be the ones that would have to send the letters out so they would know. So, I thought, yep, this is just rumour mill rubbish that gets spread around," Brad told the Lismore App.

"I hang up the phone, then I get a phone call from Sharon (from Liberty) about an hour later to say there's a bloke that's just walked in there handing out pamphlets. Before he gets to us, the phone rings and its council saying, we didn't know but it's only just come through 20 minutes ago."



(Brad and Kerena Baker out the front of their 34 year old business on Terania Street)

Apart from the limited time Brad and Sharon received from any government body, the uncertainty of how long it will take to make the bridge safe so the road can be reopened is causing the most concern. Both say their respective businesses could well go broke.

"This is 95% of my trade, drive past. There's no locals here anymore, not in this area Yeah. So, yeah, it's got us worried," Sharon said.

(Sharon Madden at the bowsers at her Liberty petrol station on Terania Street)

The majority of the trade for Brad and Sharon comes in from Nimbin down Terania Street or from Dunoon Road. Their great fear is that as people are forced to drive down Wilson Street then Eilliot Road from Nimbin and then Alexandra Parade past the showground, people will stop and fill up where it is convenient. It is human nature.

Local Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin is receiving lots of phone calls asking for help in what is an extremely difficult situation. And if a solution is not found?

"I've got a really good legal team in Sydney, so I think we're going to have to go for compensation," Brad said.

As a community, you can help your local petrol station during the road closure by sticking to your purchasing habits. When the Lismore App puts out its cheapest fuel options for the weekend, both Brad and Sharon are consistently cheap.

Not only that, you would be helping two businesses that spent over half a million dollars to reopen after last year's big flood, so to now be put through another trauma is more than unfair. Sharon reopened in April after working long hours week after week, while Brad was reopen in February after Kerena, his son and himself put in 180 hours a week to get the job done. Brad and Kerena have owned the Pro Hunt Outfitters and Fuel business for 34 years.

"We've just got it back to a point where it's going well and it's viable to try and recoup what we've lost and then they turn round and do this to us," Brad said.

The Lismore App is waiting to hear more details from Transport for NSW about how long it will take to make the heritage rail bridge safe for the road to reopen. We have been told that this could be a long and slow process which potentially could take three months.

Hopefully, a solution will be found a lot quicker for the sake of all Terania Street businesses that have suffered enough.