General News
9 August, 2022
Shire demands action on ‘extreme risk’ roads
MORE than 52 kilometres of State roads in Corangamite Shire are in “such poor condition they pose an extreme safety risk”, according to Corangamite Shire Council.
MORE than 52 kilometres of State roads in Corangamite Shire are in “such poor condition they pose an extreme safety risk”, according to Corangamite Shire Council.
Mayor Ruth Gstrein said the worst sections were rough and badly out of shape, with broken edges and potholes causing blow-outs and vehicle damage.
“Council regularly receives complaints about road conditions and reports of vehicles being damaged by hitting potholes at speed,” she said.
“More often than not, the road involved is not a council road but a VicRoads one.
“The unnecessary maintenance and repair bills are a particular burden on businesses that operate school busses, milk tankers, and trucks taking fertilizer, feed and livestock to andfrom farms."
“We encourage our residents and visitors to drive to the conditions of the road, but at the end of the day they deserve a safe and efficient road network.”
Council has put together a hit list of the most urgently needed repairs.
“We have been calling for action for years but the potential for accidents and vehicle damage is still extreme on these sections,” Cr Gstrein said.
“These are the roads that carry our residents to and from school or work. They’re vital for the traffic that keeps our agriculture and tourism industries in business."
“One of the top priorities in council’s 2022-2023 Annual Action Plan is to advocate strenuously for maintenance of the arterial roads in our network.”
Cr Gstrein said “long overdue” reconstruction was being done on the worst sections of Cobden Port Campbell Road and Lavers Hill Cobden Road, which was a good start.
“Much more work is needed on all Regional Roads Victoria roads, and this list needs to take priority in the State Government’s asset management planning,” she said.
“The works have to be scheduled now, not years into the future.”
Corangamite Shire Council’s list includes:
Cobden Terang Road - 8km over four sections;
Cobden Port Campbell Road - 1.8 km over two sections;
Terang Mortlake Road - 3.4 km stretch
Timboon Nullawarre Road - 2 km stretch;
Darlington Road - 15.8km over four sections and road requires widening;
Cobden Stonyford Road - 4.9 km over two sections;
Lismore Skipton Road - 10.6 km over two sections;
Foxhow Road - 2.5 km; and
Ayresford Road - 4.9 km.
Department of Transport regional director (Barwon South West) Michael Tudball said “significant investments to improve safety on major roads across Corangamite Shire have been made in recent years, from our routine maintenance program through to various multi-million dollar road packages targeting dairy supply roads and inland routes”.
“We continue to meet regularly with all south west Victoria councils to identify which roads require long-term safety upgrades and maintenance,” he said.
Under the 2021/22 regional road maintenance blitz, $10.2million was spent on repairing arterial roads across the Corangamite Shire.
Sections of Cobden-Warrnambool Road, Cobden-Stonyford Road, Cobden-Camperdown Road and the Princes Highway have also been targeted.