Community
14 March, 2025
Hopes for rain on gravel roads
IT’S not only farmers who are longing for rain, with Corangamite Shire’s works team looking forward to more moisture on the shire’s gravel roads.
Manager works and services Lyall Bond said moisture is needed in road material to allow for compacting and ensuring it sets at the right density.
“To level out the ruts and corrugations you need to loosen and reshape the surface material with a graders, then reset it with moisture and compaction,” he said.
“We’ve been applying a lot of water with water trucks working with graders but the roads are just so dry after months of low rainfall that the work continues to be a challenge.
“At the moment it’s a balancing act. There’s no sense grading large areas of roads if they are going to be in a mess a couple of days later.
“So, the community will see spot grading and water trucks on roads over the coming months until we receive good rain.”
“We want our residents to know that while our annual maintenance program is also contingent on moisture, we’re still actively working on key areas to improve roads where appropriate.”
Mr Bond said council is constantly monitoring gravel roads across the shire so we can act when the conditions are right.
Bureau of Meteorology data shows 2024 was the fifth driest year in the Corangamite region since records began in 1900 and the start of 2025 has remained below average.
Read More: local