Fix needed to get ‘great big trucks’ out of central Bacchus Marsh

A BACCHUS Marsh couple are advocating for a solution to the many trucks using the heart of the town as a link between Geelong and northern Victoria.

Meanwhile, a proposal for an ‘eastern link’ road remains a planning project.

Patricia and Peter Veal said heavy vehicles such as ‘road trains’ were affecting the ever-growing town.

“Bacchus Marsh is quite a big place now to have those trains coming through the main street and then out onto the freeway,” Mrs Veal said.

The Veals have lived in Bacchus Marsh for 15 years. They said without a solution standard and semi-trailer trucks would continue to be driven through the town down Gisborne Street, contributing to road damage.

“It’s because we haven’t got a bypass virtually,” Mrs Veal said. “There’s nowhere other they can go, they come from Geelong and then turn into our street, into our main street, or they come from further down, straight through.

“The road is not made for those great big trucks.”

Moorabool Shire councillor Rod Ward agreed with the Veals.

He said it was vital the eastern link road was built, a plan the council had been supporting for 28 years.

“B-doubles have to turn down Gisborne Road, come through the centre of Bacchus Marsh to get to Geelong or turn off at the freeway to go to Melbourne,” Cr Ward said.

“Now that’s 20,000 vehicle movements a day today and a thousand of those are trucks coming down Gisborne Road and through to Grant Street.”

He said the proposal, which would allow traffic to avoid the centre of Bacchus Marsh, had been left unfunded after a study resulted in plans for a road.

However, Cr Ward said it was important the proposal received financial support because of planned population growth.

The Department of Transport and Planning will refer the project to the state’s planning minister to determine if an Environment Effects Statement (EES) is required as part of the planning process.

Before an EES referral can be made, the department will await outcomes of surveys to identify potential populations of the Victorian Grassland Earless Dragon.

The preferred alignment will go through a planning approval process at a date to be confirmed.

Michael Bailey, the department’s executive director for Barwon South West and Grampians regions, said: “We’ve invested $3 million into a planning study for an eastern link road to improve traffic flow and safety in Bacchus Marsh.”