Wyndham council has initiated a joint project with VicRoads to prepare plans for duplicating Sayers Road with a view to gain funding in the next state budget.
The two bodies hope to finalise the plans by July so VicRoads can prepare a business case to be presented to the Department of Treasury and Finance for consideration for the 2017-18 budget.
The project follows a petition, bearing 18 signatures and lodged at the March council meeting, that called for the duplication of Sayers Road.
A council report reveals that about 21,500 vehicles travel down Sayers Road, between Morris and Derrimut roads, every weekday while about 20,000 vehicles travel on the Palmers to Morris roads section daily.
A two-lane road such as Sayers Road is considered to have a capacity of 18,000 vehicles daily.
The section between Palmers and Morris roads has been carrying more vehicles than that for the past decade.
Council transport portfolio-holder Glenn Goodfellow said that although the road was the responsibility of VicRoads, not the council, it was important for the two bodies to work together to submit a business case to the state government. He stressed that the duplication was not a fait accompli.
“We’ve got to have the business case; it’s got to then have the funding case; it’s then got to go to Treasury,” he said. “But having the business case done with VicRoads and the council gives added weight to the reason why it has to be duplicated.”
Fellow councillor Bob Fairclough thanked the petitioners for highlighting traffic woes along Sayers Road.
“Duplication is well overdue,” he said. “We need to continue advocating for the upgrade.”
