Council has earmarked $6.25 million for reconstructing six kilometres of Mount William Road, a significant route for agricultural freight as well as local and tourist traffic.
The road is critical to local wheat, barley, canola and oats farmers accessing the Lakaput bulk grain storage facility, CHS Broadbent's primary Victorian bulk grain receival space. Improving access and efficiency for the larger capacity vehicles which transport these harvests will substantially increase the efficiency of transport, reducing supply-chain costs for our primary producers and enabling them greater competitiveness in an increasingly global market.
Mount William Road is also the main route for local residents accessing the Yalla-Y-Poora Tennis Club and Recreation Reserve, and is used by many people to get to the Tatyoon Cemetery. These works will deliver a smoother road surface and driving experience to our local community, reducing travel times and levels of fatigue.
In addition, the widening of the road seal will reduce impact of dust on crops located close to Mount William Road. Currently, when vehicles veer off the narrow seal onto the unsealed shoulders to avoid passing traffic, they generate dust which is spread to the crops via wind. Reduction in dust improves the yield quality of the crops.
The project splits the targeted segment of road into three subsections to be completed chronologically, with works for each subsection including 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.
The project is jointly funded by the Federal Government's Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP), which awarded Ararat Rural City Council $5 million earlier this year, and Council's own contribution of $1.25 million.
"These upgrades will make the road safer and improve efficiency," says Ararat Rural City Mayor, Cr Bob Sanders. "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 many more trucks using this route."
