Local Roads to Market projects across the state’s south-west are upgrading intersections, strengthening pavements and widening and re-aligning the roads our dairy industry relies on.
The Andrews Labor Government is contributing $480,000 toward the cost of upgrading 18 intersections in the Glenelg Shire, paving the way for more efficient dairy pickups.
The local dairy industry says improving width, sight distance and pavement strength for these intersections will significantly improve transport routes and access to market, reducing costs.
In Moyne Shire, the Labor Government is providing $841,333 to improve intersections along Woolsthorpe-Hexham Road, a strategic link for freight vehicles serving specialised dairy.
The funding will help realign the intersection of Woolsthorpe-Hexham Road and Hexham-Ballangeich Road, reconstruct the intersection with Bostocks road, and widen and improve road pavements.
The Labor Government is also providing $195,000 to identify and prioritise future road and bridge infrastructure upgrades that will improve the freight network and directly benefit dairy producers and processors in the region.
The Barwon South West Dairy Supply Chain Study will be conducted by Corangamite Shire Council with partners including Moyne Shire Council, Colac Otway Shire Council, Southern Grampians Shire Council, Warrnambool City Council and the Great South Coast Group.
The Local Roads to Market Program, part of the Government’s Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund (AIJF), is supporting rural, regional and outer-suburban councils to improve connections to the farm gate.
Round one is funding 29 projects, worth $22.2 million, in 26 local government authorities across regional and rural Victoria. More information about AIJF is available at agriculture.vic.gov.au/infrastructure.