HIGHLIGHTING ongoing safety and accessibility concerns, Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell, Member for Northern Victoria, has called on the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, to provide details on when repairs will be completed on a section of Katamatite-Nathalia Road in Numurkah.
Speaking in Parliament, Mrs Tyrrell addressed the area located just east of the Numurkah cemetery, where repair work has not begun for over a year.
“Motorists on this section of the Katamatite-Nathalia Rd have been inconvenienced by traffic lights that have closed one lane for over 12 months because of what is believed to be a broken pipe under the west-bound lane of the road,” Mrs Tyrrell said.
“The delay in fixing the problem has meant that the road has now deteriorated to the point that it is collapsing, with a knee-deep pothole formed near the middle of the road.”
Mrs Tyrrell pointed out that the increased traffic has worsened the condition of the remaining open lane, with the surface of the eastbound lane sinking and cracking. She emphasised that Katamatite-Nathalia Road is a major route for motorists traveling between Numurkah and Katamatite, used daily by many cars, heavy vehicles, and agricultural machinery.
“The more than 12-month delay in fixing the original broken pipe has now turned into several major problems on this particular section of what is a busy road,” Mrs Tyrrell said.
“It seems like the State Government has somehow forgotten about these repairs and that is why I have asked the Minister to provide a date when the road will be fixed once and for all.”
Ms Horne has 14 days to respond to Mrs Tyrrell’s question.
