Both lanes are now closed, with a side track in place, due to a failure on a "slip circle" which saw the road start to crumble away down the hill last year.

It's now expected to cost hundreds of thousands to fix, and Tamworth Regional Council's (TRC) manager of operations and construction, Murray Russell, said that will be claimed under the state's Natural Disaster Funding.

"Council will need to satisfy the state's procurement requirements including engaging an external design consultant, formal tender process, external contractors to complete the work, and these processes slow the reinstatement down," he said.

Speaking to the Leader, longtime locals Robert and Margaret Schofield said the slip has been an issue for more than 60 years.

"It's been there for as long as I can remember, and I'm 80 in a few weeks time," Mr Schofield said.

"They keep on just moving the road up to get around it. But on that side it must be sitting on a big rock, every time it gets wet it just slides off during the wet weather.

READ ALSO:

"It is a problem and it will cost a lot of money for TRC to fix it properly. What they've done at this stage is only patched it up."

Mr Schofield said he wouldn't be surprised if TRC was purposely holding off repairs in case the proposed Hills of Gold Wind Farm goes ahead, and the proponents fund it themselves.

The loggers used to fix the road by cutting logs and placing them on the hill, added Mrs Schofield, who grew up in the region.

"The problem is not a lot of people live up there, life's a number's game," she said.

"But everyone's entitled to a safe thoroughfare, and the kids are certainly entitled to come to school.

"Every road in the state's in a mess. Where the trucks go from here to Wallabadah it's just pitiful. They're doing it bit by bit at a time, but the whole surface just breaks away."

She also made the point that the condition of Nundle Road with its potholes is much worse than Barry Road.

"That mountain soil does make good road, a lot better than trying to go along the river flat, it will always be lumpy and bumpy," she said.

TRC has recently completed in excess of $500,000 worth of repairs along a 2.5 kilometer stretch of Barry Road, which it says has been seriously damaged by logging trucks over the last year.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: