The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien is calling on the Andrews Labor Government to urgently repair the substandard works that have been completed on several arterial roads across Gippsland.
Mr O’Brien said he was extremely disappointed in the works that had been completed on a number of roads including Longford-Loch Sport Rd, Rosedale-Longford Road and Bengworden Road.
“I was pretty happy earlier in the year when, after a lot of lobbying, shoulder sealing and widening was undertaken on a number of local roads.
“But to my dismay and that of many locals, it’s taken just weeks or months for these works to deteriorate badly, particularly along the “seal” between the old road edge and the new shoulder, creating potholes, an uneven surface and dangerous conditions for drivers.
“Many of these roads are now in a worse condition before the works were completed. The Government needs to fix these roads, explain who is responsible and ensure taxpayers are getting value for money from these works.
“I have seen and experienced first-hand the potholes and now lifting tarmac that has surfaced after just a few days of warmer weather. It doesn’t take a road expert to know that these works are unacceptable.”
Mr O’Brien has now written to the Minister for Roads again to ask that these works be repaired to a suitable quality and the engineering and tender processes reviewed to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“I have received calls and emails from understandably upset locals who have put up with months of delays from road works with the promise that there would be a payoff of better roads at the end of it. Instead they now have even more potholes than before and in at least one case damage to their vehicle from melting road surface.
“This amounts to a waste of time and money and answers and solutions are needed as a matter of urgency.”