There was no standing room and plenty of debate at the latest community meeting on heavy vehicles in Rutherglen – proving just how contentious choosing a route diverting trucks out of the main street will be.
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Indigo Council representatives and VicRoads planning manager Sarah Morris fielded sticky questions on what the diversion might look like, but the most impassioned speech came from Kerrin O’Rourke.
Ms O’Rourke, who has lived with multiple sclerosis for 40 years and now uses a wheelchair, made an appeal to her fellow Rutherglen community members to unite in finding a solution.
“It is very complex getting across the Murray Valley Highway in the middle of our town,” she said.
“I can’t look over cars; I’ve got to move out onto the road to check, and move back with B-Doubles coming, and they can’t brake very fast.
“Somebody is going to be hit, just be aware of it, and be aware when you’re pushing your own solutions because they all suit you, that you may have contributed to that.”
Though an origin to destination study and consultation to guide possible routes has not yet begun, some attendees on Thursday were already talking options, one even suggesting Indigo Council had already chosen a route involving Up River and Gooramadda roads.
Infrastructure Services director Ian Ellet disputed the $300,000 upgrade of Gooramadda Road bridge was evidence of this and said it was separate funding to the $4 million to be released for planning and works for the deviation project.
“We still believe it makes good sense to do that, but that doesn’t close off any other options … everything’s on the table,” he said.
“In my mind, it’s not necessarily about trying to deliver a finished product, it’s going through the first stage of the project, which is understanding traffic movements and working out what solutions look like.
“If it turns out this will cost $6 million, we can do the first chunk and then pursue it in the years to follow.
“That’s still a far better place than to rewind a few years, looking at a $10 million solution.”
Ms Morris said the total cost of the project would be known when a route was found – which would be 12 months away at least.
“Out of the $4 million, we’re talking about approximately $600,000 going towards investigation works – an origin destination study, community consultation and design works,” she said.
“That would leave $3.4 million to do actual works on the ground, but until we figure out a preferred route and what it needs to make it attractive for heavy vehicles to travel on it, we don’t know what those things are.”
