Boat Harbour Road build reaches major milestone
Published on 27 October 2026
Last week a 230-tonne crane installed 22 concrete culvert units at Boat Harbour Road, Sauls Dairy, achieving a key milestone of installing the new Tri-cell Concrete Box Culvert structure for beneath the new road.
Nambucca Valley Mayor Gary Lee said reaching this milestone was a great achievement, especially considering the constant showers the valley has experienced lately.
“The massive Tri-cell Concrete Box Culverts were installed over three days from 19-21 October and they will provide excellent drainage beneath the new section of road,” he said.
“This is a great achievement for Council’s contractor, Fortade, who are so far on time with this job despite the recent wet weather.
“I would like to thank the Australian Government for the $2.4 million funding for this work, delivered through the Safer Local Roads Infrastructure Program.”
Nambucca Valley Council Acting General Manager David Moloney said the Sauls Dairy work site at Utungun had been well established, with good safety, quality and environmental controls in place.
“The sheer scale of the job – a 34 metre wide by 8.5m deep hole – and the site’s sloped topography make this an impressive construction site,” he said.
“To prepare for the culvert placement last week, a total of 75 cubic metres of concrete was laid beneath the culverts to build aprons to secure the pre-fabricated box culverts in.
“Next, the wing walls will be formed, reinforced, and the concrete will be poured. After this, the backfill of the culvert will start.”
Council would like to thank the community for its patience while the major works are delivered and Boat Harbour Road at Sauls Dairy is closed. The road is expected to be closed up until approximately 24 December 2026, weather depending.
During the road closure, all vehicles are detoured via Taylors Arm Road, when travelling between Macksville and Taylors Arm. The approximate 7-kilometre detour has a reduced speed limit of 40 km/hr during construction.
Council’s roads crew recently graded Taylors Arm Road to ensure it is well maintained and able to safely manage the additional volume of traffic driving between Macksville and Taylors Arm.
Motorists should also check Live Traffic or their preferred mapping app before travelling, as the road closure and detour details are outlined on travel apps.
Taylors Arm Road is not suitable for oversize or over-mass (OSOM) vehicles, such as a special purpose crane vehicle, due to some of the road's curves having tight curve radii. Council has advised OSOM operators who intend to move a heavy load through Utungun or Taylors Arm areas during the Boat Harbour Road closure period, to contact Council on 6568 0253 or email council@nambucca.nsw.gov.au prior to travel. A Council staff member will discuss their OSOM vehicle movement and see if a suitable alternative route can be found.
The culvert replacement program started on 14 September, and the works are expected to take up until 24 December to complete, weather depending.
ALL MEDIA ENQUIRIES TO:
Mr David Moloney
ACTING GENERAL MANAGER
02 6568 2555
DATE: 27 October 2026