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Jobs boost to south and west Gippsland with 11 projects approved for funding from federal 'Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program'

Funding for local roads projects that will support more jobs and help in the economic growth for the community.

By news@gippsland - 7th September 2021 - Back to News

The Federal Liberal and Nationals Government has approved funding for 11 projects as part of its $2.5 billion Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, which is supporting local jobs, businesses and boosting the economy during COVID-19.

Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program supports local councils to deliver priority local road and infrastructure projects supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies to help communities bounce back from the pandemic

Program to support economic growth

Federal Member for Monash Russell Broadbent said getting shovels in the ground on local construction projects was important for maintaining jobs and economic growth in Monash. "Every single job we support makes a huge difference in our local community, now and as we build our way out of the pandemic. That is why we have moved quickly to approve funding to flow to 11 projects."

"Not only will this program support jobs, construction businesses and economic growth across Monash, it will also improve road safety and bolster the resilience of our local road networks, helping Australians get home sooner and safer. We will work closely with our local councils in Monash to ensure local projects get underway and start supporting jobs and businesses as soon as possible," Mr Broadbent said.

Recover from economic hardships

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said over 5,800 projects have already been approved under the program with around $835 million paid to councils across Australia. "This funding will result in some much wanted facilities and infrastructure in our community, which will have flow-on effects for local companies and suppliers,"

"We know how important our support is to communities who have faced the combined effects of drought, bushfires and COVID-19, which is why the construction of new infrastructure will help the community recover from their economic hardships. These projects are driving new money back into the local economy in Gippsland and creating jobs at a time when we need it most - it's a real win-win." the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Funding to spend on local priorities

In June 2021, the Federal Liberal and Nationals Government also pre-paid $1.3 billion of this year's Financial Assistance Grant to provide untied funding for all local councils across Australia to spend on local priorities. Here's the list of Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Funding projects approved as of 31 August 2021:

South Gippsland Shire Council

• Road works - Clancy's Road, Korumburra
• Road works - Atherton Drive, Venus Bay
• Road works - Loch Poowong Road
• Road rehabilitation bundle

Other road infrastructure projects include :

• Upper Commercial Street Carpark, Korumburra
• Nicholls Road - Culvert Replacement
• Mount Eccles Road - road rehabilitation
• Port Welshpool Marine Search and Rescue Hub Redevelopment Project
• Redevelopment of Poowong Recreation Reserve

Latrobe City Council

• Construct mini-roundabout at the intersection
• Repair failed and failing sections and to resurface the roads in hot mixed asphalt concrete
• To construct traffic calming measures such as central medians and/or raised pavements and/or curb bulges. Moe - Moore Street
• Public lighting at Lake Narracan car park and reserve

Baw Baw Shire Council

• Improving access to the new Early Learning Centre co-located at Warragul Primary School by upgrading and sealing the road pavement, improving drainage with new kerb and channel, improved footpaths and car parking in the existing road reserv
• Changeover existing inefficient old street lighting in Baw Baw Shire with the most energy efficiency LED Street Lighting available currently. The shovel ready program covers the replacement of 1,230 old and inefficient streetlights which includes high-pressure sodium vapour and high wattage mercury vapour to the most energy-efficient LED lighting
• The project will develop an intertown connection for use for pedestrians and cyclists between Erica and Rawson that aligns with Baw Baw Shire's Paths and Trails Strategy. The project will include a granitic sand path approximately 4.7km in length from Henty Street, Erica to Pinnacle Drive, Rawson
• Tanjil River Road Bridge - Bridge Works

Bass Coast Shire Council

• Fincher Street - The scope of the project is pavement rehabilitation through stabilisation of subgrade and constructing a granular pavement. This pavement will be sealed with an asphalt wearing course

Cardinia Shire Council

• Simpsons Road, Vervale - Bridge Works

Project description and problems addressed

The list of the project descriptions and the problems being addressed is stated below:

Road works - Clancy's Road, Korumburra

Improved quality of road surface by eliminating corrugations and potholes. Improved safety for traffic via increased usable road width. Reduction in dust from roads impacting nearby residents. Reduced maintenance costs for a sealed road compared to a gravel road.

Road works - Atherton Drive, Venus Bay

To improve access to No 5 beach and address current traffic hazard and dust issues, particularly in the busy summer period.

Road works - Loch Poowong Road

This road carries 947 vehicles per day with 23.3% commercial vehicles. Pavement of this section of the road has deteriorated severely due to low subgrade strength & higher commercial vehicle usage. Redevelopment of Poowong Recreation Reserve, current courts are in poor condition and noncompliant for netball in terms of run-off requirements and lighting.

Road rehabilitation bundle

Bena Kongwak Road, Bena - width varies from 5.8 to 6.0 metres. This section of road has no road shoulders, with drop offs into deep table drains that pose a safety hazard for motorists. Ferrier Street, Korumburra - assets including footpaths, kerb & channel and road pavement have reached the end of their usable lives based on condition surveys and need to be upgraded.

Old Waratah Road, Fish Creek - the kerb and channel and road surface are in poor condition and this section of road has complaints of excessive speed along the road from local residents, hence the decision to include slow points to reduce traffic speeds.

Upper commercial street car park

Insufficient long term parking supply close to the commercial area including increased demand for parking that will be created by the construction of the new Korumburra Hub building. The carpark will also service users of the proposed new rail trail from Leongatha to Nyora which will pass through this rail station precinct.

Port Welshpool Marine Search and Rescue Hub Redevelopment Project

The existing buildings are in a state of disuse and it is not considered feasible to undertake any repair works. Therefore it is proposed to construct facilities that will meet the requirements expected by the community. Nicholls Road - Culvert Replacement, the culvert is damaged and will continue to fail if not replaced

Mount Eccles Road - road rehabilitation

This road carries 103 vehicles per day with 5.8% commercial vehicles. Pavement of this section of the road has deteriorated severely due to low subgrade strength & higher commercial vehicle usage.

Construct mini-roundabout at the intersection

The oddly aligned intersection causes some confusion with unwary drivers and there is very poor sight distance on one approach

Public lighting at Lake Narracan car park and reserve

The caravan park and the Lake Narracan foreshore park share a car park. The combination of the two uses results in frequent night time activities that are hoped to be reduced with some security lighting. Repair failed and failing sections and to resurface the roads in hot mixed asphalt concrete, to bring forward resurfacing works on roads that are failing.

Motorist's high speed and poor lane discipline

To construct traffic calming measures such as central medians and/or raised pavements and/or curb bulges, to address motorist's high speed and poor lane discipline when traversing from Moore Street onto Evelyn and onto Austin.

Simpsons Road, Vervale - bridge works

The key problem being addressed is that the bridge has reached the end of its long term design life. There are demands from agricultural activities in the area to obtain heavy vehicle access to permit the transport of produce for processing and delivery to market.

Improving access to the new Early Learning Centre

Improving access to the new Early Learning Centre co-located at Warragul Primary School by upgrading and sealing the road pavement, improving drainage with new kerb and channel, improved footpaths and car parking in the existing road reserve.

To meet the needs of our rapidly growing community an Early Learning Centred was co-located at Warragul Primary School and the increased traffic has resulted in access and safety issues for parents and children, increased damage to existing unsealed road surface, access and amenity for local residents, and parking challenges.This project is supported by the Council Plan under the following initiatives: - Quality community focused services, facilities and infrastructure to support a growing community.

Develop a coordinated approach to the planning and delivery of early years services to support Baw Baw's growing population - Parking provisions are also key to providing a safe and sustainable environment for our communities and residents

LED street lighting available

Changeover existing inefficient old street lighting in Baw Baw Shire with the most energy efficiency LED Street Lighting available currently. The shovel ready program covers the replacement of 1,230 old and inefficient street lights which includes high-pressure sodium vapour and high wattage mercury vapour to the most energy-efficient LED lighting.

The changeover program will generate local employment, improve community safety, reduce impact on our environment and save money for our local community. Energy Efficient street LED lighting is up to 60 percent more energy efficient than traditional high pressure sodium bulbs or mercury vapour and can last 15 to 20 years.

LED lights are free of all harsh chemicals and therefore minimise impact on our environment. LED lights are also 100% recyclable and can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. LED street lighting potentially makes public transportation easier, as well as improving visibility on roads.

Intertown connection

The project will develop an intertown connection for use for pedestrians and cyclists between Erica and Rawson that aligns with Baw Baw Shire's Paths and Trails Strategy. The project will include a granitic sand path approximately 4.7km in length from Henty Street, Erica to Pinnacle Drive, Rawson.

The proposed route of this path begins at the intersection of Henty Street and School Road. From here the proposed path follows the East side of School Road/ Moe-Rawson Road, crossing Collins Road and Thomson Valley Road. The proposed route turns East at the intersection with Knotts Siding Road, and runs along the South side of Knotts Siding Road into Rawson via Tyers-Walhalla Road (West side).

Meeting demands for connectivity

The project will achieve the following solutions as identified in Council's Paths and Trails Strategy: - Meet demands for connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists to key public points of interest in the Shire. - Growing demands for new paths and trails to connect our smaller communities.

Providing additional leisure and recreation opportunities to our communities aimed to encourage the community to stay healthy and increase community connectedness and participation. - Offer an additional tourism experience for visitors to the region to benefit businesses in communities where tourism is a major contributor to economic output and job creation.

Tanjil River Road Bridge - Bridge Works

Southern abutment of bridge has dropped approximately 70mm across the entirety of the bridge width due to the failure of one of the four timber piles. After a structural engineers assessment of 8 of the piles.

Approximately half of these are displaying signs of localised decay including splitting and segmenting as well as loss of pile diameter, which is a major concern for Council. These works will provide a quicker outcome and provide bridge access to property owners which is a priority. This will provide T44 loading conditions for a further 10-15 year life span.

Fincher Street

The scope of the project is pavement rehabilitation through stabilisation of subgrade and constructing a granular pavement. This pavement will be sealed with an asphalt wearing course. Pavement failures including rutting, potholing and shape loss.

For more information, visit the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

Pictures from City of Monash website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com