Flood recovery job the last one

Published on 06 June 2014

When Council workers packed up their equipment and signed off on their repair work on the Barraport-Minmindie road, a chapter closed.

It was one of the most momentous chapters in the history of Loddon Shire and ironic that the end should come so quietly and at such a peaceful place.

The Barraport-Minmindie road provides local access only, but the restoration project there represented the very last job under the $32 million flood recovery program which compressed 10 years of road construction, repair and maintenance into two.

Works co-ordinator Ossie Costello said the reason it had taken until now to finish this particular road was that it remained under water until late last year.

“It wasn’t until April this year that it was possible to get machinery on to the site and start the earthmoving and rebuilding work needed,” Mr Costello said.

“We then got the work done within two weeks.

“Tonnes of silt had to be removed, drains redone and the road reformed.  In all, 1,000 tonnes of clay fill was trucked in to reshape it.

“There were 2,015 road repair jobs listed under Council’s flood recovery program and we’ve finally been able to do the last one.”

Over the two years to 30 June 2013, Council completed gravel re-sheeting over 563km of Shire roads, graded 434km, finished shoulder re-sheeting totalling 93km, repaired 23km of sealed roads, replaced 110 floodways and 91 bridges and culverts.

In effect, nearly 20 per cent of the local road network in Loddon Shire was renewed during that time.

Water sat over the Barraport-Minmindie road for three years after the flood events of 2010/11.

Council workers had to remove tonnes of silt after the water finally evaporated.

The reopened road marks the close of Loddon’s massive flood recovery program.