Forgotten Valley residents fight to keep Settlers Rd open as Council eye major year long works

Macdonald Valley – often referred to by its residents, for good reason, as the Forgotten Valley – are fighting to keep Settlers Road open, preferably with an alternative bridge, while major road and bridge works lasting a year are carried out by Hawkesbury Council.

The repairs to heritage Thomas James Bridge – half of which has been unusable for a year due to a collapse of stone supports and a section of road – plus the landslide above the section of road closer to the ferry, are likely to take at least a year to complete and the Council says the road will need to be closed.

So far there is no firm timetable for the repairs but residents have been told by Hawkesbury Council June could be the start point.

The Thomas James Bridge on Settlers Rd has been down to one lane for a whole year after torrential rain brought down part of the mountain above it, and the landslide just around the corner near the ferry also occurred in February 2022, so damage to the road there will also be repaired.

Half of historic Thomas Jane Bridge has been closed for over a year following torrential rain damage…

If Settlers Rd is closed without any alternative temporary bridge, it will mean a very long drive for residents via St Albans to the Webbs Creek ferry, on poor quality roads.

School children, local businesses, workers, postal and water deliveries – all will have to use the long way round, and the scenario is also likely to lead to long queues at Webbs Creek ferry, with Wisemans Ferry not accessible if Settlers Rd is closed.

Hawkesbury Council has set up a group, called the Thomas James Bridge Advisory Committee (TJBAC), to represent residents, and the Macdonald Valley Association, the main community group in the area, is playing an active part in that.

Confidential concerns

But there is a concern amongst some residents around Hawkesbury Council’s demand that many elements of the situation are kept confidential, and so hidden from public or media scrutiny.

According to Macdonald Valley Association members, the council requires, “a confidentiality agreement be signed by the committee members as some of the detailed items are confidential”.

The council has presented two options for the reconstruction of Thomas James Bridge, but they are also confidential.

And construction of a temporary bridge alongside the old bridge is being considered, but the details are “in confidence”.

And when it comes to the Settlers Rd landslide – just up from Thomas James Bridge, Hawkesbury Council want to keep the seven options – narrowed to two – secret too.

“The choice is currently in confidence,” says the MVA.

The MVA’s Tony Simpson – a well-known and respected Hawkesbury lawyer – says he isn’t overly concerned about the confidentiality clauses and is more focussed on ensuring there is a temporary bridge alongside the one to be repaired.

But other members are troubled, with one telling the Post, “yes, I am concerned about the confidential situation”.

“A lot of people are now quite scared – because they don’t really know what is going on.”

“A lot of people are now quite scared – because they don’t really know what is going on – and when people are in this situation you have to feed them with information and let them know exactly what is happening.

“The thing that is terribly important is that this is an emergency. This is a major emergency if it’s not set up properly.”

The repairs are likely to be funded through the Federal Government’s Disaster Relief Program.