Roadside grass mowing ramps up

REGIONAL Roads Victoria (RRV) is ramping up its annual roadside grass mowing program to improve sight distance and reduce fire risk along the arterial road network.

In south western Victoria, the grass mowing schedule is divided into a western and eastern program.

In the east, crews are targeting roads in the Surf Coast and Colac Otway regions before moving onto urban arterials in and around Geelong and the Bellarine.

In the west, crews have started slashing grass around the Glenelg and Southern Grampians regions and will work eastwards over the coming months.

RRV regional director (south west) Mark Koliba said timing the grass cutting season was crucial, which is why RRV began in November ahead of the peak fire restriction period so the authority would stay on top of spring growth.

“Safety is always our first priority and our crews are working tirelessly slashing grass and trimming trees as the weather heats up.” Mr Koliba said the slashing program differed each year, based on rainfall, seasonal growth, temperature and the time it takes for the grass to cure.

RRV works closely with councils and emergency services such as the CFA, with crews generally cutting up to three metres behind guideposts on major roadsides.

“We’ll be slashing roadside reserves on the region’s 4000-kilometre arterial road network, so we’re asking drivers to be aware and slow down when they enter a works zone,” Mr Koliba said.

“During these works, speed and lane restrictions may be in place to keep drivers and workers safe and we thank the community for their patience.”

To find out more about RRV’s maintenancerelated activities, head to regionalroads.vic.gov.au.