THE reduced burden on Towong Shire for maintenance of the Corryong-Benambra Road has taken a step forward with two council-owned sections of the road to be handed over to VicRoads.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The state’s road authority has started the process of upgrading the high country road to arterial road status with the long-term goal being sealing of the entire 112.5 kilometres of road which starts in the Towong Shire near the Colac Colac Caravan Park.
The council last week authorised its chief executive officer Juliana Phelps to clinch an agreement with VicRoads which would see the shire’s responsibilities for the road lifted in the short-term and put in the hands of the road authority.
Further negotiations need to be held with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as a section of the road also traverses over Crown land.
The road on Crown land is undefined so a plan is required to define the exact area that needs to be declared.
Further complicating the matter are sections of the road in the neighbouring East Gippsland Shire are on private property.
Declaration of the Towong Shire sections of the road are hoped to be completed by the end of the financial year.
The council dedicated almost 33 per cent of its budget to road and drainage works across its vast area of 6600 square kilometres with a population base of around 6000 people.
The reduced costs of upkeep of its section of the Corryong-Benambra Road comes at a time when Towong Shire is one of 10 councils in Victoria seeking to raise rates next financial year above the mandated 2.5 per cent rate cap.
Towong wants a 6.34 per cent rate rise next financial year.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said Towong Shire faced some unique challenges in balancing its books.
“The burden of the road network for local government is significant and we are trying to lessen that,” he said..
“There are a whole heap of flow on effects from that.
“Towong Shire punches above its weight and they continue to find efficiencies.
“The ratepayers often get frustrated, but they do a great job with what they’ve got in my opinion.”
The ratepayers often get frustrated, but they do a great job with what they’ve got in my opinion
- Bill Tilley
Mr Tilley said sealing the entire length of the Corryong-Benambra Road remained a long way off.
“I’ve always promised the Upper Murray I would work towards that and I absolutely have been in co-operation with local government,” he said.
The North East has three fully sealed roads to East Gippsland with the most recent being the Omeo Highway between Mitta and Omeo.
