Cardinia Shire Council will invest $25 million towards sealing almost 40km of local roads to create sealed linkages to existing sealed road networks.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Councillor Graeme Moore said the Strategic Sealed Road Program provides for the strategic and well-planned construction of unmade roads across the shire.
"This investment in our local roads will create links and connections to the existing sealed road networks, encouraging traffic to use the safer and longer-lasting sealed road network instead of local, unmade roads," Cr Moore said.
Council has assessed roads to be considered in the program, with criteria based on:
- strategic importance
- safety - including both crash history and configuration
- usage, and
- maintenance cost.
Council will now prepare tender documentation to seek proposals to seal the following road sections:
Pakenham
- Huxtable Road: whole length
- Armytage Road: Brown Road to LL Road
- LL Road: whole length
- Thewlis Road: Peck Road to Brown Road
- Dore Road: whole length
Rythdale
- McGregor Road: whole length
- Soldiers Road: from McGregor Road to Hobson Road
- Hobson Road: Ballarto Road to Soldiers Road
Nar Nar Goon
- Bessie Creek Road: whole length
Koo Wee Rup
- Boundary Road: Station Street to Denhams Road
- Denhams Road: Main Drain Road to start of seal (14m N/W of No.20)
- Main Drain Road: Denhams Road to Ballarto Road
Bunyip
- Evans Road: whole length
Lang Lang East
- Mt Lyall Road: Westernport Road to municipal boundary
The program will be funded primarily through Council's Capital Works Budget, and may be supplemented by funding from the recently announced federal road sealing package of $150m specifically for the La Trobe electorate within Cardinia Shire Council area.
"Cardinia Shire Council has more than 800 kilometres of unsealed roads across the shire. While it is simply not financially possible for Council alone to seal all unsealed local roads, we are working to provide a better road network through the Strategic Road Sealing Program, as well as additional works that will come in partnership with other levels of government," Cr Moore said.
The program is in addition to roads to be sealed or constructed through Development Contribution Plans or Special Charge Schemes within townships, and in addition to Council's resheeting and road rehabilitation programs.
Tender documentation is expected to be called in September and following tender assessments, Council will finalise the program and proceed to detailed design, with works likely to start in early 2020.
