New link for heavy vehicles

It’s been a widely debated topic for almost ten years, but Bacchus Marsh residents were recently given the chance to have their say on the proposed eastern link road last week.
Representatives from VicRoads and Moorabool Shire Council congregated at the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall on Wednesday, 9 May to inform community members about the project, as well as the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed routes for the link.
Proposed in May 2018, the link is set to connect Gisborne Road in the north and Bacchus Marsh-Geelong Road in the south, via the Western Freeway, diverting freight vehicles from the town centre.
The project will also serve the rapidly growing populations of Bacchus Marsh and Maddingley, set to double to more than 50,000 by 2041; as well as creating access to Moorabool Council’s planned Parwan Employment Precinct, which is expected to feature a new train station as part of the Ballarat Regional Rail project.
There are four proposed ‘study areas’ VicRoads has put forward to the public, based on previous feedback from the community and various technical assessments – such as heritage, environmental and safety concerns.
The proposed study areas – leading to a potential route for the link – include a direct line from Gisborne Rd to Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road, and another that will create a loop bypassing the entire Bacchus Marsh town centre via Bences Road.
On what benefits the eastern link will create for the Bacchus Marsh community, Mal Kersting, Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) Western Regional Director told the Moorabool News that “construction of a link road will remove the need for heavy freight vehicles to travel through the centre of Bacchus Marsh, boosting safety, reducing congestion and improving travel times for everyone travelling through the area.”
“We’ll use feedback gathered from the community, alongside a range of technical, environmental and cultural assessments to determine a preferred route, which we look forward to sharing with the Bacchus Marsh community later in 2019,” said Mr Kersting.
The new project follows the scrapped $20-million Woolpack Road Upgrade in 2010, which came under fire due to its plans to remove eight trees from the Avenue of Honour.
VicRoads stated in an information sheet that although the former Woolpack Road project and the current eastern link project are “driven by similar issues” and plans for the new link have created “a new, broader area”, with VicRoads “considering all route options” for the link.
Although the Victorian Government invested $3-million for a planning study for the eastern link in 2017, RRV confirmed to the Moorabool News that “as there is no preferred alignment determined at this stage, there is currently no estimated cost or funding for construction.”
The successful route for the eastern link is expected to be revealed in December 2019.
An online portal is open until Sunday, 26 May for feedback from community members and can be accessed at: https://regionalroads.vic.gov.au/map/western-improvements/bacchus-marsh-eastern-link-road-planning-study.