WHILE the Federal Budget unveiled last week included a large investment in regional areas, no specific acknowledgement of funding has been made for the Shepparton Bypass.
Council is advocating to the Government to fund several key projects in the forthcoming election to strengthen the economic standing, social activity, and liveability of Greater Shepparton. Mayor Kim O’Keeffe said while Council welcomes the Government’s $501.7M investment to help local Councils deliver priority projects, the absence of specific funding for the Bypass is concerning.
Delivery of Stage 1 remains a top priority, after the State Government allocated $10.2M for the finalisation of a business case and the Commonwealth committed $208M to begin construction, however this is not sufficient to construct Stage 1.
“This project has been endorsed by Greater Shepparton City Council and the Committee for Greater Shepparton as a project of the highest priority and has previously received a very substantial Federal Government funding commitment towards Stage 1,” said Goulburn Valley Highway (Shepparton) Bypass Action Group chair, Peter Johnson.
“The safety and amenity of Shepparton and its CBD and urban areas are being seriously and detrimentally affected by the number of vehicles, particularly trucks, which are forced to pass through the centre of the city to access other areas and exits.”
Funding has been allocated to several projects in regional Victoria, including a $2B Regional Accelerator program to boost key industries like manufacturing, supply chains and defence; $3.1B for an Inland Rail project and $150M to construct complementary infrastructure that will unlock the benefits of inland rail for regional economies; $160M in upgrades for a Regional Australia Level Crossing Safety program and $880M for the Roads Strategic Importance initiative, to improve road safety, enhance productivity and boost resilience of the freight network.
