Road project a win for Shire

Published on 07 March 2014

One of the bigger road-making projects handled by Loddon Shire Council over recent years had its final seal last month.

A 2.3km stretch of the Bridgewater-Raywood Rd between Pyramid-Yarraberb Rd and the Shire boundary with the City of Greater Bendigo was rebuilt and widened for safety reasons.

The $1 million project took five months and involved the removal of 18 mature trees which were close to the side of the road.

Project manager Adrian Lowrey said improving the safety of road users was the main priority – “for large trucks, in particular, but also for motorists in general”.

“The pavement was widened from a 4.2m seal width to a 6.2m seal, plus 1.5m of shoulder on each side,” Mr Lowrey said.

“This was done to reduce the risk for drivers and to improve its useability for B-doubles.

“The job also involved replacing a large culvert at Myers Creek, about halfway along the reconstructed road.

“The project was first proposed some three years ago, but the approval processes, particularly in regard to removal of vegetation, took some time to conclude.

“At the finish, the main construction works were completed late last year, with the final seal coat being applied last month.”

Council had received requests from community groups and residents for action on the road for a number of years and had previously identified it as a key transport route.

The Bridgewater-Raywood Rd provides a link between a number of important arterial roads and a bypass route around Bendigo.

The particular concerns raised were the wearing surface, the narrow bridge over Myers Creek and the closeness of trees to the road.

Traffic data collected during off-peak demand periods (away from harvest-time) show an average of 250 vehicles a day using the road, including 51 trucks and tankers.

Now that the project is complete, those figures are expected to rise to 350 and 90 respectively – and more at peak times.

Funding for the works was provided through the federal government’s Roads to Recovery program ($550,000), the state government’s former Local Roads to Markets program ($352,000) and vegetation offsets ($100,000).

Before the works were done, trees close to the edge presented a major hazard.

The widened Bridgewater-Raywood road offers a safer route for its busy traffic load.

The culvert over Myers Creek was in desperate need of repair.

The replaced culvert at Myers Creek on the Bridgewater-Raywood road.