MOORABOOL Council has unveiled plans to extend Woolpack Road and create a “memorial mile”.
The release of the uncosted plans comes after the state government rejected controversial proposals for the extension of Woolpack Road to the Western Highway.
The tweaked design is back on the table after Moorabool mayor Pat Griffin and chief executive Rob Croxford met with the Premier Ted Baillieu and cabinet in Ballarat last Tuesday.
Cr Griffin told the Weekly Mr Baillieu had declined to comment on the idea.
Council hopes the extension will create both an effective truck bypass and another memorial for fallen soldiers.
“Moorabool Shire Council is committed to finding a bypass route that will take trucks off our main streets, including the Avenue of Honour,” Cr Griffin said.
“We spend about $300,000 a year in line with our maintenance program to ensure the iconic avenue is maintained and preserved for future generations to enjoy, and we are greatly concerned that if no viable alternative to the original proposition is found then truck traffic will continue to impact on and degrade the entire length of the Avenue of Honour.
“What we are now putting forward is a concept for a memorial mile of trees that goes much further than the original proposal, because it will recognise service personnel who served in conflicts post World War I.”
A feature of the plan is an interpretive centre on the corner of Woolpack Road and the Avenue of Honour, which was first proposed in 2009.
Council intends to plant about 108 additional trees along the road and create links to existing and new walking trails.
But Avenue Preservation Group spokesman Damien Strangio said the concept was merely a return to a failed plan. He asked why it was not costed. “There’s nothing new here, it’s a simple repetition,” he said. “Council should not have repeated a failed proposal, they should have moved on. There is no costing for this plan, from a council which is under significant financial scrutiny at the moment.”
A VicRoads spokesman said it was considering plans to improve access to and from Bacchus Marsh. He said major options were upgrading the existing eastern interchange connecting to Bacchus Marsh Road, building a new eastern interchange and links south of Bacchus Marsh Road, and building east-facing freeway ramps at Halletts Way.
Cr Griffin called on Mr Baillieu to critically review VicRoads’ alternatives. “I’m sure the Premier will come to the conclusion that Woolpack Road is the only viable, low-impact solution to providing a north-south alternative route around to the east of Bacchus Marsh, to get the trucks off the avenue and out of our town. Not only for the health and well-being of our community but to ensure that the Avenue of Honour is preserved for all time.”
Truck bypass concerns: page 5
