Loddon Shire bridging gaps with Infrastructure Program
Published on 02 July 2024
Loddon Shire Council has confirmed its program of investment in infrastructure for the 2024/25 financial year at its June Council Meeting, with a focus on resolving flood impacts on local road networks and bridges.
The Annual Infrastructure Program adopted on Tuesday 25 June, will see Council utilise $4.8 million of external funding from the Commonwealth Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, and Roads to Recovery funding program to deliver nearly $7.3 million in capital works across its asset base over the next 12 months.
Key areas for investment include unsealed roads ($0.8 million), sealed roads ($2.8 million) and local bridges ($1.3 million).
Under these programs, part of Newbridge Road in Woodstock will be reconstructed and the Chamberlains Road culvert between Bridgewater and Inglewood, which was recently closed due to safety issues after flooding, will be replaced to rectify flood damage and better support heavy vehicle movements with widening and safety improvements.
Loddon Shire Mayor Cr Gavan Holt noted the importance of these projects for Loddon communities.
“Councillors often hear feedback on Loddon’s infrastructure and we want our communities to know that we hear that feedback and it helps inform our priorities for future capital works,” Cr Holt said.
Ongoing renewal of infrastructure is important to Loddon as it works to address a longer term funding gap across its current asset base; a gap which is currently growing by more than $2 million each year.
“Our renewal gap, where we cannot invest enough funding to keep our assets at their agreed standard, is one of the reasons why funding programs such as the Federal Government’s Roads to Recovery and Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Programs are so important to small rural councils like Loddon,” Cr Holt said.
“The Newbridge Road reconstruction and Chamberlains Road culvert replacement will be welcome projects for these areas and we thank the local communities for their patience as Council continues to work through its ongoing recovery from floods which saw millions of dollars of damage across key Loddon infrastructure.”
Operationally, Council continues to consider how flooding may impact in the future.
At its April Meeting, Council resolved for $2.5 million to be held in a new Flood Recovery Reserve to help support the Shire in addressing flood damage in a financially-sustainable way.
“The Flood Recovery Reserve can be used in conjunction with other external funding and help to ensure that Loddon infrastructure can be ‘built back better’ to increase its resilience against future flooding,” Cr Holt said.
Council is also budgeting for $20 million in external funding to support flood recovery works and maintaining flood damaged assets back up to appropriate standards.
Council will also invest $300,000 into community buildings with projects in Boort and Inglewood and $350,000 into local drainage projects to improve stormwater management in North and Southey Streets, Inglewood.
Local footpaths will also be renewed with $200,000 being tipped into these local connections in Wedderburn and Pyramid Hill.
Further detail on Council’s Annual Infrastructure Program can be found in the June 2024 Council Meeting agenda on the Loddon Shire Council website.