Labertouche roads gain $1.8 million upgrade

Two tenders totalling $1.8 million have been awarded for major road improvement works on Labertouche North Rd and Labertouche Rd.

Baw Baw Shire Council has awarded a $1.45 million tender to Ace Earthmoving to upgrade Labertouche North Rd.

McInnes Earthmoving was successful in winning the $310,000 contract for blackspot safety improvements to Labertouche Rd.

The Labertouche North Rd project included $582,000 state government funding through the Local Roads to Market Program and $198,000 Roads to Recovery funding.

Labertouche North Rd will have the final seven kilometres of road upgraded to a sealed road standard and will include works to improve road safety.

Council anticipates the works to take 18 weeks to complete, however, it is likely that the road improvement works will be completed in stages to limit the overall disruption to road users.

A shortfall in funding for the Labertouche North Rd works will be met by savings in two of council’s road budgets (major culverts and road resealing budgets) and a further $162,000 from Roads to Recovery.

Safety improvement works also are scheduled for a section of Labertouche Rd between the Tarago River and Jacksons Track. The road will be widened, with a small section reconstructed to extend the life of the road.

It is expected these works will be completed over an eight week period starting in January.

A report to council said road users and the wider community would benefit from the road improvement works resulting in a safer road network and reduced dust from passing vehicles.

Cr Peter Kostos said this was the culmination of six or seven years of complaints and lobbying to the state and federal governments.

He said this last seven kilometre section was unsealed and every season when the park opened it got ripped apart by increased road usage.

Cr Kostos acknowledged the work of former councillor David Balfour in helping to get this project across the line.

Cr Darren Wallace said this would put the long suffering Labertouche residents out of their daily misery.

Cr Wallace said there was a $374,000 shortfall in funding for the works but because some of council’s other projects came in under budget, there would be enough money to cover it.

“This is about allowing our local producers to get their product to market as safely as possible,” he said.

Cr Wallace said the annual gravel roads upgrade budget was $450,000 each year but the cost of this project showed there was a significant shortfall in the budget each year.

Cr Michael Leaney said anytime council could convert an unsealed road to a sealed road was a positive.

“Everyone benefits from having a sealed road,” he said.

Cr Leaney said while this road was in the west ward, the east ward had a huge number of unsealed roads that needed to be looked at.

Mayor Joe Gauci said the planned works would deliver safer and more user-friendly roads to Labertouche residents.

“The condition of these two roads has deteriorated in recent years, resulting in excessive dust and corrugations in the summer months and deep potholes and flooding in the winter.

“This upgrade project will see vital safety works to seal and widen these roads helping to eliminate dust and prevent the road becoming muddy and slippery in wet conditions,” he said.