Driver frustration is mounting over ongoing Calder Freeway lane closures for roadworks that have not been completed.
The freeway between Kyneton and Mount Macedon was under restrictions for four months from November last year before being resealed.
The resealed section subsequently failed and is part of about 10 kilometres of the freeway now reduced to a single lane with the speed limit slashed to a crawl.
“It’s been like that for months and there’s never anyone working on the road when you drive through there,” one frequent freeway user told the Express.
A Department of Transport spokesperson advised that delivery timeframes for the works to be completed were yet to be determined.
“We understand the importance of reopening these sections of the Calder Freeway and we’re working with our contractors to finalise delivery timelines for repair works,” the spokesperson said.
Speaking on commercial radio (3AW), a DoT spokesperson admitted that that due to costs, country roads were not built to “Melbourne standards” and were “really just a gravel road base with a bitumen spray-seal”.
Road resiliency inquiry launched
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport last week launched an inquiry into the implications of severe weather events on the national regional road network.
Chair of the committee, Luke Gosling MP, said the inquiry would look at road engineering and construction standards to strengthen road resiliency against natural disasters, including the critical role of climate change trends and data to inform infrastructure standards.
“The committee is concerned about the increasing deterioration of the nation’s road network, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas,” Mr Gosling said.
“The extreme flooding events and other natural disasters across the nation have impacted many Australians, and the committee is seeking to understand how road planning and construction may be improved to enhance road climate resiliency and support our communities.”
