MOORABOOL Council fears that hopes for a Bacchus Marsh truck bypass will come to nothing, despite the unveiling of plans to ease traffic congestion.
The council has been lobbying in the past few weeks, with mayor Pat Griffin and chief executive Rob Croxford meeting VicRoads on August 21 to discuss new strategies for the town.
“What came out of that meeting is that it’s highly unlikely there will be a truck bypass for Bacchus Marsh within this current determination,” Cr Griffin said. “They still haven’t reached a conclusion. They’re looking at a number of options and they will probably in the next week or two report to the [Transport] Minister [Terry Mulder] on what they are.”
The council also lobbied Premier Ted Baillieu and cabinet members in Ballarat last Tuesday, seeking a reversal of a decision to reject plans for the extension of Woolpack Road.
“We also mentioned that VicRoads had not addressed the problem of getting trucks off our main street,” Cr Griffin said. “Without a truck bypass, trucks will continue to go down the Avenue of Honour, degrade the trees and raise the number that need to be replaced.”
