The Ararat Rural City Council have been awarded $5 million from the Federal Government's Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP) for the first stage of the Mount William Road Upgrade project. Council are contributing $1.25 million for a total project cost of $6.25 million.
Mount William Road is a critically important road for the communities of Maroona, Rossbridge, Tatyoon, Tatyoon North, Langi Logan, Ballyrogan, Challicum and Yalla-Y-Poora. These communities are predominantly agricultural producers, with many owning and/or operating farms that produce wheat, barley, canola and oats. This is the key freight route for these communities to the Lakaput Bulk Storage Facility, CHS Broadbent's primary Victorian bulk grain receival facility.
The condition of Mount William Road has been a major issue for grain growers and the local community for many years. In 2019, Ararat Rural City Council established a Road Capital Working Group made up of Council, key local agribusinesses, road users and key industry leaders. The Working Group identified roads which needed to be upgraded based on road condition, road class and their strategic importance for the farming community, local economic development and tourism. Mount William Road was identified as the number one priority of the Working Group.
Mount William Road was also identified in the Council's Asset Plan 2022-32 as a road of regional significance, and part of the 'rural road backbone' to be developed to service agricultural freight, and community and tourist traffic.
The project will reconstruct and widen sections of Mount William Road that are currently in very poor condition. Works will include the excavation and removal of the existing degraded road seal and pavement, new road base course layers, drainage works, sealing, line marking, safety barriers and associated safety signage. Council will engage with the local community in Yalla-Y-Poora and the surrounding farms and users of the road to minimise disruptions during works.
Quote from Mayor, Cr Bob Sanders:
'We are thrilled to receive this major investment from the Federal Government towards the upgrade of Mount William Road in Yalla-Y-Poora.
The upgrades will make the road safer and improve the efficiency of this route. Cars and trucks won't need to slow down and drive off the narrow road seal onto the gravel shoulders to pass each other.
It will fix the pot holes and uneven patches, so the journey can be safe and smooth, which we desperately need during harvest time when there are that many more trucks using this route."
