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Sunday, 3 August 2025
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Have your say on road management
3 min read

Roads in Noojee and Tanjil South are proposed additions to the Baw Baw road registry, but sections of Walhalla Rd, Cowwarr Rd and Cowwarr-Walhalla Rd - totalling 60km - may be cut.
The removal of five sections of unsealed roads is forecast to save ratepayers more than $10,000 per year.
Councillors heard the changes stemmed from an internal review of its road management plan at its recent council meeting.
Community feedback is now being sought on the draft plan and road registry.

Proposed changes would see Baw Baw Shire add 12.3km of new gifted roads from subdivisions; 14.4km of gifted paths; 0.55km of public requested additions; and, remove 60.6km of roads.
An officer report said an assessment of Walhalla Rd, Cowwar Rd and Cowwar-Walhalla Rd revealed no ratepaying properties on some sections.
"It is considered that their primary use is for the movement of recreational vehicles within the State Forest, and raises the question of whether council should continue to maintain these sections of road," the report said.
It added the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) had offered in principle support to take over maintenance responsibility for the section of Walhalla Rd from the Walhalla township to Beardmores Trk. However, this support did not extend to the remaining sections.
The section of Walhalla Rd between Beardmores Trk, Thomson and Cemetery Rd at Aberfeldy will continue to be maintained by council. However, the section between Mt Selma Turnoff and the shire boundary - previously maintained by Mansfield Shire - was determined "no longer reasonably required for general public use."
Small sections of roads at Drouin and Nilma are also proposed to be cut. They include a 63m section of Kingston Heath Drv due to single property access, 115m section of Nilma-Bona Vista Rd and a 189m section of Balfour Rd, both of which will align with Department of Transport and Planning responsibilities.
As a result of resident requests, a 60m section of Loch Crescent Service Rd at Noojee and 487m section of Cervi Rd are proposed to be added. The unsealed roads are estimated to add $136 per year in operating costs.
Council has been gifted 74 roads totalling 12.3km in Drouin, Warragul, Longwarry, Neerim South, Trafalgar, Narracan and Jindivick townships. All sealed, they will add $2003 in operating costs.
The officer report also noted updates to the road hierarchy would lead to "significant reclassification" of some local roads, which would impact inspection and maintenance cycles.
Council is set to commit to additional night inspections and an increase in some bridge inspections.
If the proposed changes are implemented, Baw Baw Shire would be responsible for 1168km of sealed roads, 643km of unsealed roads and 572km of paths.
The overall net changes would result in a reallocation of maintenance costs within the current road maintenance contract of $219,000 per year.
Cr Kate Wilson said officers had put a lot of work into the review and road register because "our road network is one of the most significant and valuable public assets that we manage".
Cr Wilson said updates were important for transparency and accountability, setting clear standards for community expectations and resourcing, and to distinguish which roads council were responsible for.
"In short, it's about good governance," she said. "It makes sure that our road management is keeping pace with the change of the community."
Cr Tricia Jones said the main change was a move to a Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) template to offer "a more consistent and fairer way of planning and explaining how we manage our roads".
"We all want roads that are safe, smooth and well looked after, and that's what council is aiming for," Cr Jones said. "The reality is that council is not able to do everything on the wish list."
She noted limited funding and weather events do "make a difference to what we can realistically achieve each year".
Cr Ben Lucas said 76km of roads and 211km of paths had been added in the past 10 years, "a 60 per cent increase in our footpath network alone".
He said detailed assessments had resulted in removal of roads, saving thousands in operating costs.
Using Walhalla Rd as an example, Cr Lucas said sections of this road were found to no longer serve rateable properties and were not required for public use.