The state government recently announced the Yarras to Mount Seaview section of the main thoroughfare was open in a single-lane capacity after numerous landslips occurred during flooding rain in March.

But Walcha businesses are still suffering with no tourists coming over from the coast.

Walcha mayor Eric Noakes said the opening of the section was a "good start" in the process, but there was still a long way to go.

"We know it's a big job but the Walcha community is hopeful it will be open sooner than the end of July," Cr Noakes said.

"It's been shut a long time and was shut 18 months ago and it has a devastating effect on businesses in town and on the road, and businesses who aren't in our council area too."

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A staff member from the Walcha Royal Cafe said it had impacted the business "immensely".

"We're mindful of the fact that these things can't be fixed within five minutes, but if it will only be fixed and washed out again in the near future, it's not the outcome we're after," she said.

"Realistically, when you look at that beautiful landscape and the fact we're travelling over it you wonder if its really ever going to be possible but Europe seems to be able to manage it so hopefully we will."

On the other hand, Andy Wright, the owner of the Walcha Motel, said his business had been even busier since the highway closed.

"A lot of money is being spent on roadwork and we've got a lot of road workers staying here," Mr Wright said.

"It's actually working out quite well - we're full several times every week at the moment, but probably at least four out of seven days, and we're not having to turn away people who would normally be travelling through country NSW to the coast, so it's actually in a strange way a good thing to us.

"As long as the roadworkers keep coming. They're not looking at slowing down, I know one group doing work on Thunderbolts Way who will be here for the better part of a month, but we'll just have to see what happens."

Cr Noakes said there was many landslips still over the road, but there was a much bigger problem to deal with.

"It's taken a lot of the bottom of the road away and they're the expensive and the slow bits to repair and while ever one of them is still there, the problem exists," he said.

"My understanding is there's only two ways to fix it, cut into hill on the other side or stabilise the bottom side with a retaining wall and fill it.

"It's going to take some big machinery and a lot of fill to fix the road."

Detours around the highway include the Waterfall Way, through Gloucester, Taree, or Grafton.

The stretch between Mount Seaview Road and Gingers Creek is expected to re-open by the end of July.

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