Ararat Rural City Council will receive funding worth $5.8 million over the period 2019-24 under the Roads to Recovery program.

The program allocates funds to councils for the maintenance of council-managed roads. 

For the financial year 2017-18 the council received $981,879 from the program and invested a total of $4.07 million into road infrastructure.

Upgrades made to Tatyoon Road in 2018 were partially funded by the Roads to Recovery program.

Roads that the council had already identified for potential upgrades included Delacombe Way, Chatsworth Wickliffe Road, Woorndoo Streatham Road and Yarram Gap Road.

“Works will include pavement  strengthening and widening of narrow seals,” council chief executive Dr Tim Harrison said.

Some urban roads have also been identified for conversion from gravel to sealed.

Dr Harrison said that the council is endeavoring to deliver around $2 million in works over the next six months, all of which were funded by the Roads to Recovery program. 

The works include upgrades to Allenders Bridge on Warrak Road, a section of Mount William Road south of Tatyoon North Road, and the upgrade and widening of a section of Back Bolac Road, which has already commenced.

“We’re expecting the bridge works to commence in February and Mount William Road in March,” Dr Harrison said. 

Council’s Construction of Urban and Urban Fringe Gravel to Seal Roads policy stated that works are prioritised according to traffic volumes, strategic use of the road ‘including tourism, heavy transport, business or commercial activity’ and other uses.

Member for Wannon, Dan Tehan said this allocation under the Roads to Recovery Program was great news for roads in the Ararat Rural City Local Government area.

“The funding provides councils with the ability to invest in upgrading local roads, thereby helping to improve safety and efficiency levels for all users of the network and economic growth in their communities,” he said.

The allocations for Ararat Rural City Council were calculated using the proportion of Financial Assistance Grants that each local governing body receives and updated assessments undertaken by local government grants commissions.

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