The crack in the bank, in between Schuppe Dr and Spaldings Rd, sits unnervingly close to the road itself.

Assistant General Manager Engineering Services Paul Gallagher has said Council staff have "erected barricades along the shoulder and removed the trees to lessen the chance of additional strain on the embankment" on the advice of a geotechnical engineer.

The stumps and root networks have been left to prevent further weakening of the embankment.

"If the bank collapsed we would either narrow the width of the road pavement or place the area under one lane traffic using traffic lights until the repair is completed," Mr Gallagher said.

Mayor Hoban has said over a million dollars-worth of damage has been caused by the rain to Council-owned land and infrastructure last month.

And this crack will be costly too.

"Preliminary estimates rate the cost of repair up to $500K. the figures are based on similar past works and a more detailed estimate will be developed following further investigation and design," Mr Gallagher said.

There have been other cases like this in recent memory - a few years ago a hairline fissure along Williams Hill Rd opened up, causing one half of the road to subside. And Gumma Rd is prone to this type of problem too.

Unfortunately, natural disaster funding does not allow for the road to be moved away from the river bank.

"This is considered as 'betterment' under the funding arrangements and the additional cost is borne by Council. To shift the road away from the river is cost prohibitive," Mr Gallagher said.

Even after repairs, the issue might recur again.

"There is always the chance that further pavement may slip," Mr Gallagher said.

"The embankment will be stabilised along the affected area, if required the works may be extended further to ensure the long term repair."

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