Major NSW roads in flood-ravaged areas will remain closed for months as the repair bill soars into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the costs is estimated at $80 million but the total price is impossible to know until complicated geotechnical inspections have been finalised.
The SES responded to over 12,000 calls for help on Thursday afternoon, March 25, conducting 1022 rescues and deploying 1672 teams.
Water Minister and local member of Oxley Melinda Pavey said grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers to repair vital infrastructure may not cover all losses but will stop many farmers from going under.
Sustained rainfall had already begun wreaking havoc on the Mid North Coast, where the Hastings River had peaked at 8.54 metres at Wauchope a day earlier.
About 120 kilometres of the Oxley Highway between Walcha and Yarras, inland from Port Macquarie, is closed due to landslides. And further north, about 20 kilometres of Waterfall Way is closed between Bellingen and Dorrigo.
One lane, however, has been set to reopen on Bells Line of Road, allowing drivers to travel in both directions at a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h.
Constance said Transport for NSW crews assessed the road after it was damaged by the severe weather event and are patching significant potholes between Bell and Mount Tomah.
The Australian and New South Wales (NSW) Governments will expand assistance to communities as they begin to rebuild and recover, providing grants with short-term recovery.
