A message to motorists travelling between Bairnsdale and Sale: Be careful.
State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, this week raised new concerns around construction standards on the 68-kilometre Princes Highway roadwork stretch between the two East Gippsland towns.
Mr Bull said having spoken to former and current roads workers, who all shared the same view, saying some now referring to the road as the “Princes Track”.
Roadworks being undertaken include road widening to allow for controversial centre line barriers, however it is believed vehicles are now travelling on sections deemed “non-trafficable shoulder”.
“I am certainly not a road construction expert, but when you have people who know their trade well, all telling you the construction process is flawed, you take notice,” Mr Bull said.
“The issue raised is that the centre road line (which was a single line) has been widened to 1.4 metres to cater for centre of the road barriers that are already in place from Sale to Stratford and are about to be installed from Stratford to Bairnsdale.
“This centre widening has pushed vehicles further left than they were travelling before, in many cases outside the old ripple strips, which were the road edge.
“The problem is, this area of road where the cars, trucks and buses are now travelling (the old shoulder) was built to standard of being a “non-trafficable shoulder”, meaning it is a surface built to a lesser standard as it was never meant to take regular traffic loads.
“The advice I am receiving is this is why the road is constantly failing – there’s a strip that is now taking large traffic volumes it was not constructed for.
“I am led to believe this has been raised with Safe System Road Infrastructure Program (SSRIP) which is overseeing these works and VicRoads with a request that it be addressed, but my advice is that it has fallen on deaf ears.”
Mr Bull said if the information was correct, it was not the fault of the contractors, but the scope of works under the contract was the issue; the many road failures in this area would indicate it is correct.
“There are other concerns that have been raised, including the new shoulder having a “lip” where it meets the old road which will hold water and cause failure, and the lack of table drains in certain areas,” Mr Bull said.
“They are fair points. This whole thing is a mess and needs to be halted while concerns are addressed.
PICTURED: State Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, has again called for a halt to the roadworks between Stratford and Bairnsdale, this time because of new concerns that the construction process is flawed and is causing pavement failures.
