State of disrepair

DON Cummins, convenor of the Benalla Mansfield Road Upgrade Group (B–MRUG) has expressed his concerns at the most recent delay to the 'Magills Lane to Barjarg fire shed' road upgrade. The road, located west of Mansfield, connects the Midland Highway near Barjarg to the Maroondah Highway and Maindample. The road has been carrying an increased traffic load over the last few years with a number of traffic jams occurring between Mansfield and Bonnie Doon. The usability and safety of the road has also been an ongoing concern the community, with the B–MRUG action group being created to progress the list of problems. After the group met with management at Regional Roads Victoria earlier this year in April to discuss proposed works, Mr Cummins was cautiously optimistic about the progression of the project. "We were assured that the money is still allocated and that tenders will be let in June and a start made at the end of winter, September–October of this year, for completion during the coming summer," said Mr Cummins. "Well, October is here with no signs of a start and now we get a disturbing email that pushes the project further away into 'maybe land'." Back in May 2020, Regional Roads Victoria (RRV) said the works would comprise pavement rehabilitation and widening to increase lane widths and include sealed shoulders, drainage improvements, a wide centreline treatment and rumble strips to reduce the risk of head–on and run–off–road collisions. The four million dollar upgrade was then slated for 2021, but that didn't transpire. B–MRUG secretary Wally Czochara then had a meeting in March of this year to find out what had happened to the project. Chief among the questions was, "Has the money disappeared into other places or projects?" "We were assured that the money was still there and that the project would be let for contracts in June and would start in October," said Mr Cummins. B–MRUG members also expressed concerns that these delays point to a fundamental incompetency from the very body tasked with delivering road building and maintenance, and Mr Cummins added that it was possible they'd be put off until the state election was over, at which time the project could be deferred indefinitely. The issue, simmering for some time and now reaching a sizzling point, follows recent community concern about other major arterial roads in the region, reportedly in a similar state of disrepair. Mayor Cr James Tehan said council would advocate for the incoming government to reinstate the Fixing Country Roads program, which is a commitment of $200 million over four years, alongside an additional $200 million for RRV to implement an ongoing upgrade and maintenance program. Cindy McLeish MP, the state member for Eildon, largely attributed the poor state of the roads to the state government's significant budget cuts, while Steve Bowmaker, Director of Hume Region at the Department of Transport, said La Nina's unseasonably wet weather over the past two years was a major factor the noticeable degradation in road surface. "The real issue here is that all these delays point to a problem with VicRoads contracting and service delivery," said Mr Cummins. "To promise delivery and then miss three deadlines spread over three years indicates more than just a hiccup with contracts. "The cost of materials rises all the time and allocated funds buy less and less roadworks and this leads to B–MRUG members' concern that the whole project will not happen." The Department of Transport said they need to wait for warmer, drier weather to be able to deliver this type of work, as it is not practicable to deliver major resurfacing or sealing work when it's wet or cold as this weather drastically increases the risk of the works failing. "Works on joint $4 million Victorian and Australian Government upgrade are planned to start later this year as scheduled subject to weather, as part of the Targeted Road Safety Works Program," said Steve Bowmaker, Department of Transport Director (Hume Region). "These works will include road surface and drainage upgrades and road widening to improve safety for all road users."

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