Letters to the editor - June 29

June 29 2018 - 4:00pm
Letters to the Editor – June 29
Letters to the Editor – June 29

Rebuilding roads

There’s been a lot written about the condition of roads across the south-west, but one thing is for sure: the region’s roads are not up to scratch and they’re now being rebuilt, widened and made safer with the biggest ever boost to upgrade our roads. VicRoads has been going through the 300-plus submissions to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Country Roads, and listening to the frank and important feedback. Our communities and industries have been leading voices in a push for a dedicated focus to fix rural roads. Now the entire state is receiving almost $1 billion to renew and rebuild roads, and the south-west has been recognised as a special case. Just as the original road builders of the Great Ocean Road could not have envisaged five million tourists a year, nor could they have planned for roads with thousands of B-doubles every day carrying exports to the busiest timber port in the world at Portland. The times and economy are changing and our roads are now being rebuilt to keep up. In the last financial year, the equivalent of the entire state road maintenance budget was invested in the south-west to begin to address the generational backlog of deteriorating roads. Strong investment will continue, with the Victorian Budget 2018/19 including a further $126 million of additional investment in the south-west. From big ticket upgrades of the highway from Colac to the border, to upgrades to Forrest-Apollo Bay Road and a new Bellarine rail trail, narrow sealed roads and dangerous intersections will be improved and roads made safer. Improving the quality of vital freight and tourist routes will remain a priority, with upgrades continuing on the three major roads leading to the Port of Portland, as well as ongoing geotechnical works to safeguard the future of the Great Ocean Road. The significant investment in road maintenance will also continue this year, with resurfacing and rebuilding works to be carried out right across the region to improve the safety and longevity of our regional road network. The need to work much more closely with local government has also been heard, with a $100 million fund to rebuild and resurface local essential roads. It’s not only about more money though. A new authority for regional roads – to be based in Ballarat with a presence in regional centres across the state –  will help address decades of underinvestment and inattention, overseeing a $333 million investment in road maintenance. Championing the needs of country Victoria, Regional Roads Victoria will give rural and regional Victorians a direct line of communications to VicRoads, and a clear focus on making the network safe and fit for a growing tourism, agribusiness and innovation economy. People in the south-west deserve roads they can rely on, and this investment continues the rebuild to make sure the roads are safer and more reliable than ever before.

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