A new flooded road smart warning system at the Pinnacle Road floodway is set to improve safety and enhance Council’s ability to respond quickly during flood events.
The new system uses a water level sensor installed at the floodway to automatically detect rising floodwaters. In the instance of a flood event, the sensor will trigger a digital “Road Closed” sign at the floodway and a “Road Closed Ahead” warning sign at the start of Pinnacle Road, providing an immediate and highly visible warning to motorists.
The sensor sends an automated SMS alert to Council staff when flooding occurs, prompting the installation of physical road closed signs and enabling a faster, more coordinated response.
Pinnacle Road was identified as a high‐risk location due to its history of flood‐related rescues. By clearly warning road users and triggering rapid responses, the system will help prevent people from driving into floodwaters and is expected to reduce the number of flood‐related rescue incidents.
The system automatically reports flood conditions to Council, including water depth and duration, allowing for faster and more informed decision‐making. Council staff will be able to update road closures through Transport for NSW’s OneRoad platform, ensuring information is published in real time to Live Traffic NSW and Google Maps.
If the Pinnacle Road project proves successful, Council will investigate installing similar smart warning systems at other flood and rescue‐prone locations.
The project has been co‐funded by Forbes Shire Council and the NSW Government through the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Disaster Ready Fund – Round 2. For more information, visit www.forbes.nsw.gov.au