Ararat Rural City Council has finished building a new bridge on Buangor-Ben Nevis Road as part of a $10.6 million project to upgrade the road and bridges between Warrak and the Western Highway.
The new bridge, that crosses Mount Cole Creek is now wider, smoother and safer for all motorists, including heavy transport vehicles.
Next month, Council will start to fix the bridge over Billy Billy Creek, which will involve rebuilding the bridge deck and strengthening the existing bridge support structures. The entire project is funded by Council and the Federal Government's Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure program and Roads to Recovery program.
At Westmere, Council will begin strengthening the bridge on McCrow's Road on Monday 30 March. This work should take approximately four weeks to complete and is also funded by Roads to Recovery funding. Locals can expect to see significant action at this work site, including equipment like cranes. McCrow's Road will be closed to all traffic for the duration of these works.
CEO Dr Tim Harrison said it was exciting to see the first major milestone for the Buangor-Ben Nevis Road upgrade project achieved.
"This much anticipated priority bridge rebuild was a big undertaking and I'm pleased to say the project was smoothly delivered," said Dr Harrison. "The next phase of works involves the strengthening of the bridge over Billy Billy Creek, and the road will be closed again during this time with detours in place. But we are confident that this project will take less time; approximately four weeks all going well.
"We really appreciate the community's patience whilst we complete this very important road and bridge safety works across the municipality. The outcomes will make our road network safer for decades to come and support the efficiency of the heavy transport industry throughout region," he said.
