WARRNAMBOOL councillor Mike Neoh is urging the federal government to spend its $60 million cash injection for Princes Highway upgrades wisely and duplicate the road between the city and Port Fairy.
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Wannon MP Dan Tehan last week announced the cash injection, saying the final improvements, which could include duplication or overtaking lanes, would be dictated by the findings of the Princes Highway corridor strategy, which is due to be released later in the year.
However Cr Neoh says the community wants duplication, and that's what it should get.
"It's a $60 million project which is brilliant," he said.
"I don't think this community deserves to leave it up to the bureaucrats to tell us what we will get.
"I think there is an expectation of duplication. Our community is expecting full duplication.
"Can Dan's $60 million plan promise that?"
Cr Neoh said the dangerous road was in desperate need of upgrades.
"There has been a number of incidents near the turn off to Koroit," he said.
"Tower Hill will become one of our key tourism attractions and the entry off the highway to it is a disaster waiting to happen.
"Some people might say from Colac to Camperdown is the next stage (where duplication should be completed) but the issue is that the Stony Rises will be problematic."
The east-west corridor from Colac to the South Australian border has seen a major increase in traffic with nine fatalities, 109 serious injuries and more who had been injured as a result of accidents along the highway since 2012.
Cr Neoh said duplication made sense because the road linked up to a major tourist route.
More than 14,000 vehicles travel along the section between Warrnambool and Port Fairy each day.
"A lot of people go along the Great Ocean Road so duplicating Warrnambool to Port Fairy is a logical link," he said.
"People come from Port Campbell and back onto the highway at Warrnambool.
"This is the link to get people from the Great Ocean Road to Tower Hill.
"It makes sense in sense terms of tourism."
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