By Aaron Cordy
LOW visibility, raised and cracked in sections, potholes in others, faded road lines. The intersection at Union Rd on the GV Highway south of Kialla is often navigated at risk to motorists. Coming out of the turn-off to Toolamba you can glimpse the debris from the last prang scattered along the edge of the asphalt as you crane your neck to see the on-coming traffic inbound from Melbourne, lurking out of sight.
It’s a daily part of life driving along almost any Victorian road, navigating the potholes or being caught and diverted in the latest series of road works. Last October’s floods have been the easy answer to explain the poor conditions motorists are forced to endure daily. But residents in and around the Goulburn Valley, know the conditions of the roads have been in a poor state of repair for a long time.
The State Government’s flood recovery program was incorporated as part of the road maintenance program as well as the rehabilitation program, with $770 million allocated into this year’s budget, with an additional $2.8 billion over 10 years into road maintenance and renewal works, including flood recovery. In the 2022-23 Federal Budget, the Australian Government has delivered on $2.57 billion of its election commitments for vital infrastructure projects across Victoria. With $330 million for important road infrastructure upgrades included.
“We’re close to finalising a program of works that will repair hundreds of kilometres of Victorian roads that were damaged as a direct result of last year’s unprecedented flooding and extreme rainfall, including the Goulburn Valley Highway,” said Department of Transport and Planning Acting Regional Director (Hume) Emma Bamford.
“Our crews will continue their regular inspections of the Goulburn Valley Highway, carrying out the necessary repair of road hazards.”
What does that mean for the residents and visitors to the Goulburn Valley who hit and swerve the potholes on the GV Highway leading into Kialla West? For the time being nothing. There are no immediate plans to begin work on this stretch of road, despite the ongoing road works around the district. While there is a need to wait for warmer weather before VicRoads can begin work. Delivering this type of work when conditions are cold and wet risks the repairs not delivering a long-term solution, which we have seen in the repeat work along the truck route near Channel Road. It is easy to assume that like navigating Echuca Road in Mooroopna and many other roads in the Goulburn Valley, the residents from Toolamba and Arcadia will have to continue to swerve.
