09 Mar, 2012, 12:17 PM (St. Marys Star)
Grange Avenue, Schofields NSW cut by Eastern Creek.
MOST of the floodwaters are now subsiding but they have caused major damage and delays around Blacktown, Mount Druitt and St Marys. The news item that was published in St. Marys Star was referring to the road leading to the site of MPC or Philippine Australian Cultural Centre, No. 80 Grange Avenue, Schofields.
Stony Creek and St Marys roads have been closed for more than a week, with flood waters gushing over the Causeway.
South Creek peaked at 3.8 metres on Thursday. It remains at about two metres today and the road is still closed.
Blacktown councillor Tony Bleasdale, who lives in Shalvey, said the road was ‘‘a death trap’’.
”I can’t get my head around the lack of action to do something about that road,” he said.
”When it rains, it’s a death trap.”
One resident who regularly uses the road, Tanja Sutinen, agreed the road was a danger but said too many people attempted to cross the floodwaters.
‘‘I agree that something has to be done,’’ she said, ‘‘but I also think that people need to slow down on that road and not attempt to drive through floodwater.’’
The quickest alternate route from the Plumpton and North St Marys area to Windsor or Richmond is a 10 kilometre detour along Llandillo Road.
The other option is a 30km detour along Palmyra Avenue and Luxford Road to Richmond Road.
Eastern Creek has also flooded and cut traffic at Grange Avenue, Schofields.
The road is used as an alternate route for motorists avoiding Garfield Road through the Riverstone town centre.
With Grange Avenue blocked by floodwater, congestion in Riverstone – that is regularly described by residents and business owners as a ”nightmare” — was intensified.
(Editor’s Note: And yet, it was announced jubilantly by the managers of the Filipino Multi-Purpose Centre or Philippine Australian Cultural Centre (PACC) that the area has been re-zoned by the State of NSW as a residential area. The unfinished MPC or PACC is located at 80 Grange Avenue Schofields. Will re-zoning prevent flood waters from coming in? Will re-zoning prevent possible death from drowning?)