The Victorian Government has announced further funding, worth nearly $10million, for 17 road and bridge upgrades across eight shire councils.
The Wimmera Mallee is the biggest winner out of the latest Local Roads to Market funding announcement.
The largest project is a $5.54million widening of a narrow 1.5 kilometre-section of Minyip-Banyena Road, Yarriambiack Shire.
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said it was aimed to improve access to heavy vehicles, to cart grain and other produce.
“The Local Roads to Market program is supporting farming communities throughout the Wimmera Mallee, ensuring their top-quality grain, livestock and vegetable produce makes it to market as quickly and safely as possible,” Ms Pulford said.
“These important road and bridge upgrades will improve the competitiveness of agribusinesses across the Wimmera Mallee and improve the safety of country roads for all users.”
The work is part of a package involving 17 projects, aimed at improving heavy vehicle access from the farm gate to arterial roads, receival centres and transport hubs.
The grants will be used to widen and seal roads, improve the load bearing capacity of bridges and intersection works.
They will fund the following key projects in the Wimmera Mallee region:
$1.3 million to seal and widen roads that service the large grain community in the Yarriambiack Shire.
$1.2 million for the Yeungroon Road and Birchip-Corack Road projects in the Buloke Shire, improving access for B-Doubles to grain storage facilities and to transportation hubs like the Geelong port.
$750,000 for the Meridian South Road Widening project to widen and seal a further six kilometre section of road, improving the quality of produce transported from the region to the arterial network, as well as bypassing the townships of Mildura, Irymple and Red Cliffs.
$700,000 for the Antwerp-Woorak Road and Rainbow-Nhill projects, improving access to markets for heavy vehicles in the Hindmarsh Shire and the broader region.
$548,000 for the Annuello-Wemen Road and O’Connor Lane projects to improve roads for almond and produce farms in Swan Hill Shire.
$687,000 in the Northern Grampians Shire for three projects to upgrade bridges and an intersection as well as bridges in the Logan area to support local piggeries and farms.
$128,500 to complete the final stage of the Wonwondah-Dadswells Bridge Road upgrade in Horsham Shire and $90,000 to support Gannawarra Shire to improve access to the Quambatook grain receival centre.
The Wimmera Mallee upgrades are part of 39 projects, worth $24 million under Round Two of the Local Roads to Market program.
Round One funded 29 projects worth $22.2 million across regional and rural Victoria in 2017.
