Surf Coast Shire Council has gained valuable insights into its management of unsealed roads as well as options to enhance its approach through the Unsealed Road Review.
Surf Coast Shire's road network covers approximately 1,089 km, of which 44% (477km) are unsealed. Most unsealed roads are in rural areas, with 8% (32km) in urban areas.
Unsealed road maintenance is guided by Council's Road Management Plan 2021-25 which sets out intervention levels for hazards and timelines for corrective actions.
The key findings from the review included:
- Council is meeting the response time frame for unsealed road repairs, as outlined in the Road Management Plan.
- Community expectations for road repair is higher than the requirements in the Road Management Plan.
- There are four options recommended in the review from no cost through to the high-cost option that is costed at approximately $5 million per annum with a one off $7.7 million spend.
- Council will commence implementing the no cost option initiatives which focus on efficiency and productivity improvements.
- Council is having success in renewing unsealed roads with a mix of materials which includes Gherang gravel and crushed rock as this binds together for longer. Using crushed rock in potholes on wet roads is delivering better functionality and durability for the same reason.
- Increased adverse weather events and limited resources impact Council's ability to react to unscheduled road repairs in a timely manner, for example, for natural disasters like floods or bushfires. These impacts are expected to become more frequent.
- Residents have mixed opinions on whether they preferred their local unsealed roads to be sealed or left unsealed. Half of the respondents from areas surrounding Moriac and Winchelsea would prefer their roads to be sealed. This dropped to 19% of respondents from Aireys Inlet and surrounds.
- When benchmarked against other similar Councils and statewide results, Surf Coast Shire satisfaction ratings for unsealed roads are higher. Surf Coast Shire was rated 48 in the community satisfaction survey in 2024 compared to 34 for large rural councils and 36 statewide. However, it is Council's lowest rated service and almost two-thirds of respondents in the unsealed road review were dissatisfied with the current condition of unsealed roads.
- Large expenditure in the options outlined in the review will place pressure on Council's finances and need to be considered in future budgets as any increased expenditure on unsealed roads will impact other services or programs.
The unsealed road network review was completed between January and July this year and community interest was strong in the engagement phase:
- 798 people completed the survey.
- 244 people attended drop in sessions held in Aireys Inlet, Moriac, Connewarre and Winchelsea.
- 23 business representatives completed the survey.
- 251 comments were posted on the interactive map on Council's website.
"Unsealed roads, including their repair and maintenance, is something the community feels very passionate about," said Cr Libby Stapleton.
"I also found the community engagement report very interesting, especially with regard to preferences for sealed and unsealed roads in various locations," she said.
"This review has highlighted that there is a gap between community expectations of how unsealed roads should be managed and maintained, compared to what can actually be delivered through existing budgets and service levels."
"However, there are some immediate changes that can be made," she said.
From the review, 24 initiatives were identified that could improve service delivery and the condition of unsealed roads across the no cost, low cost, medium cost and high cost options.
Council endorsed the implementation of no cost option to provide immediate improvement to the condition of unsealed roads. This can be achieved by grading approximately 140km more of unsealed roads throughout the year through roster changes, more proactive and efficient programming of where grading occurs plus placing greater emphasis on road material age in assessing the condition of roads and when they are renewed.
The options identified that generate new costs for Council will be considered through the budget process for 2025-26 and subsequent years.
"It has been great that the community has come and engaged with this review and told us the good and bad about the unsealed road network," she said.
"We thank the community for taking the time to do this, the amount and quality of feedback we have received has been outstanding."
The full Unsealed Road Network Review can be found at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/UnsealedRoadReview
