General News
21 August, 2023
Central Goldfields one of 11 shires to benefit from new roads initiative
Maryborough’s Burns and Christian streets could be among a number of local roads to benefit from upgrades as the Central Goldfields Shire Council (CGSC) becomes one of the first Victorian councils to receive funding through a State Government...
Maryborough’s Burns and Christian streets could be among a number of local roads to benefit from upgrades as the Central Goldfields Shire Council (CGSC) becomes one of the first Victorian councils to receive funding through a State Government initiative.
CGSC, alongside 10 other councils, is set to take part in the first stage of the $210 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, developed to help the selected bodies design and plan safety improvements to roads, intersections and precincts under their management.
These road safety upgrades will be identified and delivered in a span of four years, with councils set to work closely with the Department of Transport and Planning and Transport Accident Commission over the duration of the program.
With around 1300 kilometres of roads under the CGSC’s purview, council’s general manager infrastructure, assets & planning Matthew Irving said being selected in the scheme gave the organisation an opportunity it wouldn’t have otherwise had.
“I think it’s a really great benefit for us to be involved in this project without which we may not have been able to tackle some important road safety issues that we face so this puts us in a good space,” he said.
“A couple of months ago all councils were invited to put an expression of interest forward for the initiative and we did because we saw some great benefits for our community and we put forward a number of key sites we’d like to work on.
“We’re really excited as a small regional council to be a part of something like this.”
Details relating to funding, Mr Irving said, will be released in the next couple of months by the government following which council will commence work on priority roads and areas.
“Council is still waiting on some more information to come through but what we envisage is that we’ll get our first installment of funding to do the required planning and designing and then we’re hopeful to get further funding to implement the projects on the ground,” he said.
“[Some of the sites] we’d like to work towards upgrading include Burns Street in Maryborough, between Christian and Holyrood Street; and Christian Street between Napier and Burns Street, amongst a number of other school crossings as well.
“In particular, we’ve been looking at places with vulnerable pedestrians and road users — that’s the main criteria. Schools are a key location that we’re going to focus on, including around Asteria Services and areas where we’ve got key connections with our elderly populations as well.”
Prior to the Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, council faced some challenges in ensuring optimal road safety according to Mr Irving.
“For a council of our size, we don’t necessarily have the resources or technical expertise sometimes for these important road safety projects,” he said.
“The program, whilst providing funding, also provides that guidance and technical support that we can tap into.
“That was one of the key barriers that [we can now overcome] and progress things in the shire.”
While the program’s funding is only directed towards pedestrian upgrade projects and not road maintenance works, for the community, potholes continue to be a cause of dissatisfaction.
“I know people have been rasing issues about potholes,” Mr Irving said.
“The large proportion of defects and issues throughout the municipal at the moment seem to be on State Government owned roads.
“Council, however, has a dedicated reseal program and a road construction program — we’ve got our regular defects being attended to through pothole patching and we do acknowledge there’s a significant amount of defects on state owned roads and we are advocating strongly to see if they can increase their funding to tackle the problem.”
The council currently manages more than 500 kilometres of sealed roads and 15 different classifications across rural roads and urban streets — and member for Ripon Martha Haylett said the program would help the organisation make required upgrades on those roads.
“I’m so glad Central Goldfields is one of the first councils to receive funding through the $210 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, meaning together we can build and design safer roads for the local community,” she said.
“Local councils know their area best. They can help us identify the road safety improvements required to reduce the risks and impact of trauma on local roads.”
However, Member for Mallee Anne Webster voiced her criticism against the program — stating that while there were multiple local government’s in the Mallee electorate which needed funding, only one, the CGSC, benefitted.
“The roads in Mallee are among some of the most dangerous in the state, yet the Andrews Labor Government refuses to put any extra money into repair,” she said.
“I regularly drive the length and breadth of the electorate and see first-hand the state of roads that constituents are forced to use every day — the state of the roads beggars belief.”