By Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
Locals are calling on VicRoads to take action on a nearby route, with concerns the road\u2019s state could lead to a serious accident.<\/p>\n
Geelong-Ballan Road is one of many roads in the region that draw the ire of locals for their potholes and rough surfaces, and many people who use the road, including Simone Laurie from Beremboke, feel something needs to be done before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s atrocious. I can\u2019t even drive my car on it. I\u2019ve got a car that\u2019s low, and if I hit a pothole, it\u2019ll just break my rims. Year after year they rip up the road for no reason at all, and replace bits of road that don\u2019t need replacing. And now, since COVID, they\u2019ve done nothing on those roads,\u201d Ms Laurie told the Moorabool News.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust past the cemetery Geelong-bound, it\u2019s got a million and one patchy holes in it. When you\u2019re driving that way, you have to dodge the potholes and go over double lines all the time. If you drive all the way up to the Beremboke turnoff, there\u2019s some massive dips, where they\u2019ve just got signs warning people. In the dark people can\u2019t see them, and hit those dips.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Laurie said her concerns had been sent to VicRoads, but she\u2019d never received a response.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do it over the internet all the time, and it just gets ignored. You get that message that says \u2018we\u2019ve received your request and we\u2019re looking into it\u2019, and you never ever hear anything. For me, I live in Beremboke, and I can\u2019t go down any of the bush roads because they\u2019re all stuffed, so I have to go on Geelong-Ballan Road, and the conditions are bad. I\u2019ve got trucks as well, I employ 20 people so they\u2019re all coming and going\u2026it\u2019s just bad,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a matter of time until someone gets killed on Geelong-Ballan Road, I reckon. Someone\u2019s had to go and draw arrows where the potholes are so people don\u2019t hit them.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Planning said Geelong-Ballan Road is inspected regularly, with crews on site every two weeks at a minimum.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeelong-Ballan Road is a crucial road, particularly for the freight industry \u2013 that\u2019s why we\u2019re delivering smoother, more reliable journeys for drivers who rely on it each day. Roads right across the Western Victoria are being rebuilt and resurfaced to ensure drivers can get to where they\u2019re going safer and sooner,\u201d the Department\u2019s spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“What were previously considered once in a generation flood events are now commonplace, bringing record rainfall and inflicting unprecedented damage on our roads, which is why we’re now delivering road maintenance as part of a $6.6 billion, 10-year strategy, allowing us to plan long-term and future-proofing regional roads.”<\/p>\n
Works worth a total of $6.42 million are planned for completion by the end of June across three sections of Geelong-Ballan Road, with reduced speeds and traffic management in place during that time.<\/p>\n
More than 1,000 vehicles use the road every day, including 130 heavy vehicles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis Locals are calling on VicRoads to take action on a nearby route, with concerns the road\u2019s state could lead to a serious accident. Geelong-Ballan Road is one of many roads in the region that draw the ire of locals for their potholes and rough surfaces, and many people who use the road, […]<\/p>\n