Road to recovery begins

By Lachlan Ellis

Some of western Victoria’s most badly flood-damaged roads will undergo major rebuilding and repair works over the coming weeks, as Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) enters the next phase of a massive flood recovery program.

Acting Regional Director for the Grampians Region, Sarah Henderson, said a program of larger-scale repairs will target those roads most affected by the floods, along with some of the region’s busiest and most important trade and travel routes.

“Our immediate response has focused on delivering short-term emergency repairs to get roads re-opened as soon as possible – now we’re turning our attention towards the first stage of longer-term, larger-scale repairs,” Ms Henderson said.

“Anyone who’s seen the damage inflicted on our roads first-hand knows that we have a lengthy recovery program ahead of us, and this is just the first step in that process.”

The program includes 34 kilometres of works of works on various sections of the Western Highway, 44 kilometres of work on the Midland Highway and 40 kilometres of work on the Hamilton Highway.

A spokesperson for RRV said more than 30 kilometres of roads within Moorabool Shire would be included in this phase of repairs.

“As part of our flood recovery works, we’ll complete major asphalt patching on a 21-kilometre section of the Western Highway between the Cartons Road Overpass and Geelong-Ballan Road. We’ll also complete further patching works on another 13.7-kilometre section of the highway from Geelong-Ballan Road and Greendale-Myrniong Road,” RRV’s spokesperson told the Moorabool News.

Other roads set to undergo repair works include Ballarat-Burrumbeet Road, the Glenelg Highway and the Sunraysia Highway.

“This first package of works is about repairing those roads that have suffered the most damage in the floods and keeping communities connected to vital supplies and services,” Ms Henderson said.

Works to be delivered under this first package include major rebuilding and rehabilitation works, asphalt patching, clearing and fixing damaged roadside drains and culverts and clearing roadside debris.

Some of these repair works are already underway, while others will begin once warmer, drier weather provides more suitable conditions for rebuilding works.

The works are part of an $89.8 million state-wide program, which will repair and restore roads right across regional Victoria.

With more than 525 roads still closed across the state, crews will also continue to carry out daily inspections and deliver emergency repair works.

Since October 13, a team of more than 500 workers deployed across the state have patched more than 79,260 potholes, and re-opened more than 860 flood-affected roads.