New hospital highlights need for road upgrades

Pre-election commitments by the state’s major political parties to build a new West Gippsland Hospital at Drouin East highlight the need to move quickly on major upgrades to the arterial road network around Warragul and Drouin, Baw Baw Shire mayor Michael Leaney said.

The new hospital is to built on land owned by the West Gippsland Healthcare Group at the corner of Princes Way and Lardner’s Track.

Duplication of Princes Way between Warragul and Drouin is a key component of council’s advocacy to the Transport Department and Regional Roads Victoria for major improvements to the “100-year old” arterial road network.

Cr Leaney said planning for the upgrades had been a top priority of RRV for several years but not been funded by the government.

At an announcement a fortnight ago by the Liberal and National coalition parties that it would prioritise funding for the roads study Cr Leaney said he would like to see a bipartisan approach to it, such is now the case with plans for the new hospital.

Roads that border the site for the new hospital are Princes Way, a government controlled main road, and Lardner’s Track that is the responsibility of the shire.

Cr Leaney said he did not know which road would provide the main access point to the hospital but council was prepared to work closely with government and the hospital board on the matter.

Premier Daniel Andrews, in announcing the ALP’s commitment of up to $675 million to a new WGH and associated aged care facility, said construction would start in 2024 if the government was re-elected.

Cr Leaney said he did not know whether the first part of the project would be to provide utility services such as electricity, water and sewerage to the site or access road upgrades including for heavy construction equipment, materials and large vehicles.

Public transport needs for visitors to the hospital when completed, especially buses, would need to be considered.

The mayor said access road construction and upgrades for Latrobe Regional Hospital extensions were included in the overall development costs.

The magnitude of the hospital project is emphasised by the fact that its estimated cost in the order of about $650 million is “about 10 times the shire’s annual expenditure,” Cr Leaney said.