MOIRA Shire has reacted angrily to the Andrews Labor government's decision to back the grey route for the Yarrawonga-Mulwala replacement bridge due to be completed by 2020.
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The state government's decision to overlook the council's preferred option, the green route, would put at risk Yarrawonga's future growth to the south and east, according to mayor Gary Cleveland.
Yarrawonga is the fastest growing town in the shire with the town tipped to grow to more than 12,000 by 2030.
“All the way through this bridge route discussion we’ve asked VicRoads to look at Yarrawonga’s future growth projections and stop focusing on getting local traffic into Yarrawonga’s main retail street,” Cr Cleveland said.
“This decision ignores the looming highway development that will transform Yarrawonga and create a new focal point for regional destination shopping and business.
“Why any road authority would want to push heavy freight movements into a residential area seems ludicrous to us when there are defined corridors next to the rail line that would avoid this.
“A previous Labor government moved the police station to clear the way for the green route and here we are just a few years on abandoning that route and destroying the town’s foreshore connection with a major highway."
The grey route will replace the existing traffic bridge linking the main streets of Yarrawonga and Mulwala with heavy traffic to be diverted along Irvine Parade on the lake foreshore.
Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has also been a long-time supporter of the green route and described the grey option as being "short-sighted".
“This decision shows Labor's willingness to ignore 10,000 signatures and turn its back on the community’s voice," he said.
“The bridge is a major issue for Yarrawonga and the Labor Government needs to respect the local people.
"They are the ones who have to deal with this matter day-to-day and well into the future.”
