Motorists and residents will experience the benefit as roads and bridges across the Shire are upgraded in 2020 thanks to State and Federal Government funding.
Roads to Recovery (RTR) funding of $7.9 million over four years was announced by the Federal Government in 2019 and Council has wasted no time in commencing a raft of works on critical shire-wide road upgrades.
Rohit Srivastava, Council's Manager Assets said Council has allocated the funding to road projects that have either been on the wish list for some time or identified in recent condition audits.
"Council has allocated $2.1 million to be spent this year from the total allocation of Roads to Recovery funding. We have spread this budget across a number of projects, with a significant amount of work already commenced or finalised," Mr Srivastava said.
These projects include:
• Lovatdale Lane, Glenthompson;
• McDougalls Lane, Nareen;
• Kent Road, Hamilton;
• Lake Road, Tabor;
• Melville Forest Road, Bulart;
• Scholfield Lane, Culla; and
• Wilderness Road Gritjurk.
"In addition to those projects already commenced, there are also a number of other significant road upgrades funded through RTR which will be finalised prior to the end of this financial year. A number of these roads we know have been priority for community for a long time so we look forward to completing these important works," Mr Srivastava said.
Upgrades to be finalised by June 2020 include:
• Cavendish-Coleraine Road;
• Chetwyn-Nareen Road;
• Hensley Park Road;
• Mt Baimbridge Road; and
• Mt Napier Road.
Council was also the recipient for State Government funding in 2019 under the Fixing Country Roads program, being allocated a total of $1.3 million for bridge strengthening, culvert replacement and road rehabilitation projects.
"Thanks to the funding received under the Fixing Country Roads program, we will be able to complete essential rehabilitation and resealing of roads which need urgent attention, making them more reliable and safe.
"Mill Road connects Hamilton to Dunkeld, providing an alternate route to the existing highway. We identified the need for urgent works to improve the safety and reliability of this route for our community and the State Government funding has enabled that.
These works will soon be complete and we will then commence rehabilitation of the other two roads funded under this scheme, being Morgiana Road and Rudolphs Lane," Mr Srivastava said.
"The Fixing Country roads funding also allows us to complete essential strengthening works to the Burdetts Road Bridge in Balmoral, Coleraine-Cavendish Road Hawkins Creek Bridge and the Robsons Road Grangeburn River Bridge in Hamilton.
"Works are almost complete on these bridges and we anticipate the projects will be finalised by the end of February," Mr Srivastava said.
A major culvert replacement on Cavendish-Coleraine Road, also funded under Fixing Country Roads, is programmed to start next week. The road will be closed between Cemetery Road and Cadden Street and traffic management will be in place.
"These road projects allow us to fulfil our promise to the community to plan and provide for safe and well maintained transport routes and infrastructure across the Southern Grampians Shire and we thank the State and Federal Governments for their contribution to our region," Mr Srivastava said.
