SAFETY concerns including the risk of landslip and cracking across both lanes has forced the closure of Merriwa to Willow Tree Road to all vehicles.
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Upper Hunter Shire Council (UHSC) advised on Thursday the road - also known as Coulson's Creek Road - poses a risk due to signs of movement, according to geo-technical reports.
The council have not indicated how long the road will be closed for.
The affected section is entirely within the UHSC, and the road is closed from the top of the range at Merriwa, but remains open on the Liverpool Plains Shire side from Willow Tree.
Motorists looking to travel between Merriwa and Willow Tree will now have to allow at least an additional 30 minutes travel time, or 44 kilometres.
The alternative route is via the New England Highway and Scone/Bunnan Road.
The closure is just the latest news in a long history of issues associated with the road which was reconstructed in 2019, but failed to meet specifications.
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Specialist road design consultants are currently creating a new design for the road, which will begin being reconstructed in mid-2021 and take approximately two years to complete.
Last week, the Office of Local Government launched an investigation into UHSC's failure to correctly complete the roadworks.
UHSC mayor Maurice Collison welcomed the investigation and said he hoped "the process can comprehensively identify what went wrong and prevent it happening again".
The council is currently under the new management of Greg McDonald, who started work on January 18, replacing outgoing general manager Steve McDonald who resigned in June 2020 citing "personal reasons".