By Deanne Jeffers
GREATER Shepparton City Council is ramping up its push for a major road funding package from the Victorian Government, following a recent tour of key intersections with Roads and Road Safety Minister Melissa Horne.
Mayor Shane Sali and Director of Infrastructure Gary Randhawa joined Minister Horne earlier this month to inspect some of the region’s highest-risk intersections, including the River Road/Goulburn Valley Highway and the Wanganui/Numurkah/Ford Road junctions, identified as Council’s top two priority sites for safety upgrades.
Over the past five years, the River Road intersection in Kialla has been the site of 14 crashes. A roundabout for this location is projected to cost between $15M and $25M. The Wanganui Road and Ford Road intersection has been four crashes and requires an estimated $7M for improvements.
“Safety at multiple sites across our municipality is of great importance. We have crash data for several sites, but Council cannot fund improvements on our own,” he said. “The time we spent driving around with Minister Horne was extremely valuable to discuss the high priority roads.”
During the tour, Cr Sali also pointed out dangerous intersections across Tatura and Mooroopna, including the Midland Highway and Toolamba/Echuca Roads, Turnball and Dhurringile Roads, and the Tatura-Undera Road and Merrigum-Ardmona Road intersections. Other sites discussed included:
- Echuca Road and Lancaster-Mooroopna Road
- Graham Street and Numurkah Road, near GV Health
- Kialla West primary school area
- Caroll Road’s entrance to the Midland Highway
- Several Archer Street intersections including Wilmot Road/Poplar Avenue and Orrvale Road.
While touring the region, Minister Horne also visited the recently completed State Government funded Central Avenue/Midland Highway roundabout.
The long-standing need for a second Goulburn River crossing was also raised, with Cr Sali saying the 2022 floods exposed major gaps in the region’s transport network during emergencies.
“With the Minister in the car with me, we were able to raise these concerns with her firsthand. She is very aware of the issues facing our community in relation to road safety,” said Cr Sali.
He also noted that the region is experiencing significant growth, with Greater Shepparton’s population of 68,873 projected to increase by 1.2 per cent annually until 2031, bringing new opportunities and challenges.
“These challenges include addressing infrastructure needs, such as road and transport solutions, protecting the environment, creating local jobs, ensuring the availability of affordable housing, and supporting industries as they adapt to changing demands,” he said.
“Strategic planning is essential to balance these opportunities with the complexities of community growth. Council and key stakeholders are strongly advocating for funding for a Road Network Resilience Package to improve road safety and infrastructure to cater for this future growth of the region.”
While the Council welcomed $1.9M in new funding under the Safer Local Roads and Streets Program, particularly for works near local schools and Shepparton’s busiest and most unsafe roads, Cr Sali said the city’s broader infrastructure needs remain urgent and unresolved.
With the state election less than 18 months away, Council is finalising its advocacy priorities for the State Government to showcase the critical challenges our region is currently facing.
