Inspecting the notorious unstable pavement of Riverside Dr this morning, mayor Rhonda Hoban admitted that keeping the road open to date had been a devil's choice.

While the road appears basically sound to the casual eye, successive floods and rain events have undercut the foundations - meaning part, or even a large section, could slide into the river during a significant weather event.

Cr Hoban said experts had rated one strip of Riverside Dr in the worst category possible - deemed as "almost certain" to fail.

So the mayor was understandably chuffed when local MP Luke Hartsuyker - brandishing everything but an actual cheque - met her onsite and pledged Federal money to fix the road should the Coalition sweep to power.

Mr Hartsuyker acknowledged the cost of the reconstruction was well beyond the council, and the Nationals, especially their leader Warren Truss, were keen to come to the party.

Cr Hoban said council had taken a risk so far in keeping Riverside Dr - the southern and main entrance way to Nambucca Heads - open.

Not only was their a potential risk to public safety, but council could find itself open to litigation if the roadway went awry.

However there were virtually no alternatives, as Cr Hoban said a diversion of traffic - some 6000 vehicle movements a day - along Woodbell St presented a fresh set of problems as it was not equipped to handle such volume.

The mayor said councillors and council staff had been lobbying for a decade for a fix for Riverside Dr.

Even with the pledge of funding, the project will be onerous: concrete piers will have to be driven into the bedrock to support a new pavement.

Mr Hartsuyker said the Coalition would be delighted to assist council with a project well beyond its purse-strings.

"This road project needs to be completed because of motorist safety and the potential for damage to private property," he told the Guardian.