In Summary
- Minister for Roads and Road Safety, the Hon. Melissa Horne, toured critical intersections across Greater Shepparton with Mayor Cr Shane Sali to discuss urgent upgrades and road safety concerns.
- Key sites visited included River Road in Kialla and the Wanganui/Numurkah/Ford Road intersection, with Council advocating for roundabout installations to address crash risks and improve traffic flow.
- Council also highlighted the need for a second Goulburn River crossing and raised safety issues at several high-risk intersections in Tatura, Mooroopna and Shepparton.
- A $1.9 million investment from the Victorian Government through the Safer Local Roads and Streets Program was announced to fund safety upgrades, particularly around schools.
These areas of high traffic flow included the River Road/Goulburn Valley Highway intersection and the Wanganui/Numurkah/Ford Road intersection, the top two key road projects for Greater Shepparton.
Over the past five years, the intersection at River Road in Kialla has been the location of 14 crashes, with a roundabout required for the alternative route at a cost of approximately $15-$20m. The Ford Road and Wanganui Road intersection, which has seen four crashes in this time, requires $7m in additional funding to install a roundabout to improve safety.
Cr Sali said the concerns of the community and Council over these, and several other intersections across Greater Shepparton, was the topic of discussion with the Minister.
“Safety at multiple sites across our municipality is of great importance. We have crash data for several sites, but Council cannot fund improvements on our own,” he said.
“The time we spent driving around with Minister Horne was extremely valuable to discuss the high priority roads.”
Cr Sali said they were able to show and discuss with the Minister key intersections requiring urgent upgrades, including several high-risk intersections in Tatura and Mooroopna, such as the intersection of the Midland Highway and Toolamba/Echuca Roads.
“The discussion included the intersections of Turnbull Road and Dhurringile Road with the Midland Highway, the intersection of Tatura-Undera Road and Merrigum-Ardmona Road, and the intersection of Echuca Road and Lancaster-Mooroopna Road. These intersections are all crash sites or have issues that need to be fixed,” he said.
“We also discussed the need for upgrades to the intersection at Graham Street and Numurkah Road near GV Health, Kialla West at the Primary School, Carroll Road entrance to the Midland Highway, and several Archer Street intersections with High Street, Wilmot Road/Poplar Avenue and Orrvale Road.”
“The desperate need for a second river crossing was also addressed with the Minister, with the October 2022 floods highlighting the critical deficiencies in the safety and capacity of our transport network. A new Goulburn River Bridge is the solution to provide improved safety and security for our community, particularly in emergency situations,” Cr Sali said.
“With the Minister in the car with me, we were able to raise these concerns with her firsthand. She is very aware of the issues facing our community in relation to road safety.”
Greater Shepparton is undergoing significant growth, with a current population of 68,873 which is projected to increase by 1.2 per cent annually until 2031. Cr Sali acknowledged that while this growth offers substantial opportunities, particularly in economic development, it also presents a range of challenges.
“These challenges include addressing infrastructure needs, such as road and transport solutions, protecting the environment, creating local jobs, ensuring the availability of affordable housing, and supporting industries as they adapt to changing demands,” he said.
“Strategic planning is essential to balance these opportunities with the complexities of community growth. Council and key stakeholders are strongly advocating for funding for a Road Network Resilience Package to improve road safety and infrastructure to cater for this future growth of the region.”
With the state election less than 18 months away, Council is finalising its advocacy priorities for the Victorian Government to showcase the critical challenges our region is currently facing.
“Partnerships and collaboration allow us to achieve these ambitious goals for Greater Shepparton. They cannot be achieved by any single organisation. We must engage and collaborate with all levels of government, the private sector, and most importantly the community,” Cr Sali said.
While touring the region, Minister Horne also visited the recently completed State Government funded Central Avenue/Midland Highway roundabout.
Minister Horne also made announcements for important local road safety improvements in and around Greater Shepparton. The announcement of $1.9m to deliver vital road safety initiatives was welcomed by Council.
"We are incredibly pleased to receive over $1.9 million through the Safer Local Roads and Streets Program. This funding will support vital safety upgrades on some of Shepparton’s busiest and most vulnerable local streets, particularly around schools,” Cr Sali said.
"This is a significant investment in the safety and wellbeing of our residents. We thank the Victorian Government and TAC for their support and look forward to continuing this important work together."
