With the first dusting of snow expected over coming days, prospective visitors to the Barrington Tops are being reminded not to attempt to use Barrington Tops Forest Road due to major structural damage that has forced the road’s closure.

Major structural damage sustained during the March floods has forced the ongoing closure of Barrington Tops Forest Road due to the high risk the roads might collapse.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Senior Manager Forest Stewardship Kathy Lyons said repairing the road was a priority and engineering assessments had been fast tracked.

“Barrington Tops Forest Road is the only access road to the Barrington Tops State Forests and National Parks from the East Coast and is also used as an alternative access route between Gloucester and Scone, so it is absolutely a top priority for repair,” Ms Lyons said.

“This is a natural surface road and unfortunately a significant weather event across the Mid and North Coast areas in March caused substantial structural damage. We are working as quickly as we can to assess and develop a repair program and have engaged engineers to assist.

“We will commence repairs as soon as possible, but early indications suggest significant works are required to repair the damage.

“In the short term, the road is at high risk of collapse, so it has been closed with physical barriers to protect the community’s safety.

“We understand the importance of this road to the local community and visitors but we cannot stress enough how unsafe it is with current sustained damage. Please adhere to all road closures, signs and barriers and avoid the area until repairs are complete.”

Road closures are listed on the Forestry Corporation website at www.forestrycorporation.com.au, as well as Live Traffic NSW and on signs in the forest.

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