Black Mountain landslide

The design is nearly complete. There has been about a 2-week delay in the program to allow for an engineering peer review to be completed. This step was required due to the high value of the project to help satisfy the grant requirements for both federal and state government. The review has resulted in additional design are to be incorporated such as further geotechnical and drainage features that help ensure a more robust outcome.

In early April, we will publish a summary of the design that will be issued for public tender.

UPDATE (22 May 2023): Refer to Project Tender Documents for Design update.

The Black Mountain Road Landslide reconstruction works are targeted to start in April 2023, subject to contractor resources and weather permitting. To ensure you are kept informed with any updates, please fill out the ‘subscribe’ box at the top right corner of this webpage.

UPDATE (22 May 2023):

The progress of reconstruction of the Black Mountain Landslide and Landslips continue. There are 3 sites that require reconstruction:

• The large Landslide which resulted in the road closure and the detour
• A smaller landslip on Black Mountain Road, Black Mountain, nearby Eungella Drive
• A smaller landslip adjacent to property line # 383 Black Mountain Road, Black Mountain

The two smaller landslips have now completed their procurement phase and Council are in the process of executing the contract and construction will commence soon and finish prior to the start of the large Landslide.

The larger Landslide is currently in the procurement phase. This limits some of the information we can share but we can advise that due to the intense interest and some late design updates the tender will now close on 5 June 2023 in lieu of 24 June 2023. This is in part due to:

• 26 contractors have expressed interest in submitting a response;
• There are currently 180 questions tabled by the contractors which range from simple to answer to the need for further design clarification.

This extension of time is important so that all clarifications are dealt with to ensure Council has a robust Contract with the selected contractor. It is still expected that a selected supplier can be endorsed by Council in early July. This is because the project team, Council Executive Team and the Councillors are prioritising this action. expecting to action.

Until we have an executed Contract with a selected contractor, Council is not able to provide a timing plan that will indicate the start and finish date. This is reliant of the availability of equipment, material and the labour. However, please be assured the procurement process including the evaluation of the contractor offers includes review of the timing plan as we understand the impact this is having on the community.

Multiple geotechnical and engineering specialists have inspected this site to determine alternate access route feasibility, and each have confirmed that creating an alternate access track is unsafe due to slope instability.

Council will be installing heavier, more permanent barriers early in the week beginning 19 December 2022 to replace the current water filled barriers and continue to strictly prohibit access. Please follow signage and do not enter the landslide area as safety cannot be guaranteed.

UPDATE (22 May 2023): This area is still considered to be unsafe for use. There are signs, water filled barriers and steel barriers indicating that you should not cross this area. Once construction commences, this area will be completely blocked off as a construction zone and no unauthorised access will be permitted. Please make plans to travel the detour route as this will be the only way to enter and exit the western side of Black Mountain Road.

Council continues to focus on maintenance of the detour road. As committed, there continues to be weekly inspections and where possible, road repairs are being made on the Detour Road.

Council recognised that a weekly asphalt patching maintenance plan for Middle Creek Road was not going provide the outcomes expected and pulled ahead the planned construction works to resurface and widen Middle Creek Road. With this upgrade to the Middle Creek Road, the need for Council Patching Crew to treat the road will be significantly reduced.

However, the gravel roads continue to need ongoing focus from Council. The works done to date include:

• Initial grader and road widening on gravel section of Black Mountain Road in March 2022
• Grading works of gravel detour roads in mid-2022
• Temporary Crossing at Slate Creek built and water height sensor installed
• Middle Creek Road upgraded late 2022
• Grading works of gravel detour roads in December 2022.
• Grading works on gravel detour roads in March/April 2023.

Why can’t Council do more?

• Council has a single grading crew to carry out works on unsealed roads all year-round.
• A grader and roller are the most effective way to improve defects, corrugations, road narrowing, dust particles and pot-holes. Interim works tend not to withstand the level of traffic and weather conditions the Detour Road is experiencing.
• To improve productivity, the Grader Crew have zoned areas they work on – often gravel roads in areas nearby. Moving the grading crew from another Zone out of sequence is difficult and costly. Where there is an emergency, the crew will work out of sequence as they did at the time of the Feb/Mar Storm event.

Council’s waste collection contractor, Cleanaway has completed several risk assessments and deemed sections of the detour route unsafe for roadside waste collection. As safety is Council’s priority, temporarily ceasing this service is understandable. A waste corral has been established nearby the Anderson and Black Mountain Road intersection with extra bins to maintain waste collection for BMR residents. This collection occurs twice a week.

Council understands this is highly inconvenient and will continue to seek ways to improve this situation for residents. We thank the residents who have been so proactive in maintaining the useability of this service.

Often, Online maps such as Google Maps and Apple Maps shows incorrect information regarding which section and length of BMR is closed which causes frustration and difficulties for residents and their visitors. Unfortunately, due to the open-source system, Council cannot control how detours and road closures appear. Having said that, both Council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads have the closure clearly marked on our public maps and Council staff regularly submit amendment requests to companies such as Google.

Detour signs are now located as per the recommended guidelines. There is also an electronic signboard located on the eastern side of the detour to help remind people that businesses are still operating and to follow the detour.

We ask residents to continue to be aware of any further temporary signage that will be used in the area for reconstruction of the four sites along Black Mountain Road, along with works on other areas such as Middle Creek Road.

Council encourages the community to use the Noosa Council Disaster Dashboard which you can find at this link https://disaster.noosa.qld.gov.au/.

If you go to the “Emergency News” button you will find all the details to access the Yabby sensor site. This will provide you real time information about the water levels at Slate Creek.

The Disaster Dashboard also provides you many other helpful resources to use during an emergency event, or even to help prepare for one.

Natural disasters impact thousands of Queenslanders every year. Each disaster has lasting effects on people, their property and their possessions. Disasters can happen fast and without much warning. This means that it is hard to react to a disaster if you have not planned for one.

People who get ready before a disaster will know what to do and have the things they need to act quickly and stay safe. The best way to protect you and your family is to have a good plan.

The following resources provide important information to assist all residents with their disaster management planning:

• https://disaster.noosa.qld.gov.au/
• https://www.noosa.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/2611/noosa-council-emergency-action-guide
• https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/get-prepared