Forbes could be cut off from Newell Highway

The people of Forbes are furious that their town could have its main road access cut off for up to six weeks, its tourism decimated as the school holidays kick in, while trade with nearby towns turns into a trickle.

The target of their anger is the Newell Highway. The artery of the central-western NSW is no rural lane but a major thoroughfare that ferries goods from Brisbane through NSW to Melbourne, with Forbes at its centre.

But two sections of the highway - one 16-kilometre stretch between Forbes and West Wyalong and another one-kilometre stretch between Forbes and Parkes - flood every time the Lachlan River breaks its luscious green banks.

"The Newell Highway should never be cut off," said Chris Roylance from the Forbes Business Chamber. "Other smaller roads next to the river can be cut because that is how God set it up, but the NewellHighway - nah, we are over that. That's wrong, time's up, it needs to be fixed."

The NSW government committed $500 million to a Newell Highway upgrade last year, but no plans were included for a small elevation of the highway along the two consistently impacted stretches.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay said protecting against one-in-50-year floods "is harder to do and [required] a lot more money" but he emphasised that the latest upgrade had helped to keep open sections of the Newell Highway closed during previous flooding.

"I can understand why businesses are doing it tough with the closure of the highway. This is a flood event that we couldn't overcome. What we will do is make sure that we do everything possible for that community," he said.

The government has said the Newell Highway would be closed for three weeks, although Mr Gay said it could be for longer. On past experience, small businesses believe six weeks is more realistic.

"While the road is shut, our income is going to be decimated," said Ali Plummer, who owns a nearby caravan park, the Big4.

"We are just worried about our staff, we rely heavily on them and they rely on us because they are only employed on a casual basis."

The town of Bedgerabong looks set to be cut off for up to a month before waters recede, and will rely on helicopters to drop off supplies.

"It's the last thing they need," said farmer Neil Mattiske, who estimates that he may have lost up to 400 hectares worth of crops.

With more rain forecast, Mr Gay urged people driving to NSW from Queensland or Victoria for the long weekend to stick to major highways such as the Hume or New England. Emergency service had been "pulling too many people out of flooded areas", he said.