Pleas heard, but no funds

Pleas for Weerong Rd, Drouin to be upgraded have been heard, but the $3 million project is not scheduled to occur for at least another 12 months.

Officers reported to council last week after receiving a petition signed by 270 people calling on council to urgently address the poor condition of the road.

Petitioners called on council to “make Weerong Rd a safe road to drive on.”

Last week, 19 submissions, largely from frustrated business owners in the Weerong Rd industrial area, were presented to councillors.

The business owners reinforced the need for works, saying it was a traffic hazard that needed to be replaced.

Submitters said the road “urgently needs attention.” Many said the road was full of potholes that had been filled in, was too narrow and drainage was “woeful in winter.”

Leigh Rees said the road was a disgrace. “It is dangerous and an embarrassment to bring clients into our businesses. It is a patchwork of continuous pothole filling.”

Peter Ward said the road was often reduced to one way traffic because of potholes and deterioration. He said it wasn’t up to standard for B-double trucks.

Peter Duttneal said council had “barely patched the surface” with the works undertaken. “It’s so bad it needs total reconstruction.”

Based on the road’s condition and increased use of the road by heavy vehicles, council officers recommended Weerong Rd be reconstructed.

Officers said the cost to reconstruct Weerong Road to an industrial standard, over its entire length, is more than $3 million.

Council will advise petitioners that reconstruction is listed in council’s long-term infrastructure plan for the 2021-22 financial year.

Detailed design works will be undertaken this financial year.

Officers reported a high level of road maintenance had already occurred on Weerong Rd since the petition was presented in March.

Recent works include a 189 square metre asphalt patch near Evison Pet and Produce and 11 pothole and edge break repairs, since the beginning of 2020.

An additional two repairs have been scheduled for completion in the coming weeks.

Officers said council would continue to monitor and respond to maintenance requests and defects.

Cr Keith Cook said Weerong Rd was considered a collector road and the businesses located along that road employed several hundred people.

He said the road was gazetted for heavy vehicle traffic.

“It is clear the road requires fixing in a timely manner,” he said.

Cr Tricia Jones said Weerong Rd was not only home to the industrial area but also an ambulance station on a nearby road.

“It’s a road that needs urgent attention. Some works have been done and more will be done in the future,” she said.

Cr Jessica O’Donnell said council needed to plan to make sure the works were done properly the first time.

She said there was money in the draft budget to undertake the design works so the project is ready to go.

Cr Darren Wallace said Weerong Rd was like Saleyards Rd in Trafalgar and constructed long before traffic increased.

He said since then heavy industries had moved in and traffic loads had increased.

“It should have been dealt with when the development was occurring along Weerong Rd over the past 25 years,” he said.