A section of the walkway was closed after a wet winter in 2016 and a series of subsequent floods in the Macquarie led to the collapse of part of the riverbank.

At its latest meeting, Bathurst Regional Council accepted the variation under the contract with Central West Civil to repair the damaged walkway. 

The works will come at a cost of $498,668.

Council’s general manager David Sherley said the situation had been quite complex and required input from multiple parties, which was why it took so long for a plan to be determined. 

“Given the complexity of the project, council needed to ensure that appropriate plans were in place to make the area safe,” he said. 

“This meant the initial design and construction method was unsuitable, requiring the preparation of an alternate design and construction method, which involved the collaboration of the contractor, council engineers, consultants and representatives of government bodies such as NSW Fisheries and Crown Lands.

“Council has now approved the variation for works to proceed.”

A start date for the repairs is yet to be determined and will depend on the availability of the specialist materials and machinery required to undertake the work. 

However, council anticipates it will take somewhere between nine and 12 weeks to complete. 

“The  plan to repair the walkway along the Macquarie River  involves the use of a long boom excavator working from the opposite bank so there is no requirement for machinery to be in the water,” Mr Sherley said. 

“Council and the contractor are working with NSW Fisheries and will implement protection measures such as silt  curtains to ensure that  the impact of the works on the surrounding environment is minimised.”

The walkway along the river was closed during winter, 2016, with barriers and signage put up around the damaged area to prevent people gaining access.

Despite this, people continued ignore signage in the area and found ways to access the pathway.