Constituency Question
Mr D O’BRIEN (Gippsland South) (6045)
My question is to the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and I ask: when will the government progress the realignment of the Coal Creek bends at Korumburra?
There were 17 reported crashes along this section of highway between July 2014 and June 2019, resulting in two people sadly losing their lives and five being seriously injured.
In 2017, Regional Roads Victoria introduced a 60-kilometre-an-hour speed limit at the Coal Creek curves as a short-term measure to improve safety. Many locals are wondering if that is all that will happen.
I was pleased that the government provided $300 000 to progress planning of the 4.1-kilometre realignment, but now it has stalled. There has been no update on the project since May 2019.
The South Gippsland Highway is the key arterial through the region, serving local communities, dairy, beef and other industries, such as the growing tourism sector. We are also rapidly expanding as a lifestyle and tree-change destination.
We now need to know how much the realignment will cost, what the final route will be and when construction will start.