General News
9 April, 2024
Road crater shocker: big hole on bus route
By CHRIS EARL FARMERS are calling for urgent culvert works and roadside maintenance as part of the fix on a flood-damaged Loddon road. A large crater has expanded to almost two metres wide and up to 10cm deep on the Boort-Pyramid Road at Yarrawall...
By CHRIS EARL
FARMERS are calling for urgent culvert works and roadside maintenance as part of the fix on a flood-damaged Loddon road.
A large crater has expanded to almost two metres wide and up to 10cm deep on the Boort-Pyramid Road at Yarrawalla.
The road, used by school buses ferrying students to Boort and Pyramid Hill, has become a shocker, according to local farmers.
But Bradley and Matthew Moon say simply repairing the bitumen surface will not be enough.
“We’re using bigger pipes in the paddock than the culvert,” Matthew said.
He said any road repairs would only be a temporary measure.
The brothers said permanent fixes must include the culvert, roadside maintenance and attention to community drains in the area.
“The water is now not getting away quickly enough,” they said. “The drains used to be good”
They say a new box culvert should be part of the solution.
Sections of the Boort-Pyramid Road were badly damaged in the summer storm floods.
Residents in the area said that a truck carrying plate glass recently had its load shatter when driving through the section with a temporary 40kmh speed limit.
They have been told that Regional Roads Victoria will start maintenance works this month.
A crew was patrolling the road on Good Friday. However, the Moon brothers said that without tackling the main problems - flow of water through the small culvert - crews could be called back more often.
Loddon Shire’s Terrick Ward councillor Dan Straub told councillors last month that he had been in further talks with North Central Catchment Management Authority about community drains in the district.
Another Yarrawalla resident, Jarrod Treacey, saw his home flood in January. He also raised concerns about the culvert’s capacity to handle flood water.
Regional Roads Victoria was contacted for comment on the issue.