MORE than 15 kilometres of rehabilitation works will be carried out across the Wimmera, Western and Borung highways in the coming months.
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The Regional Roads Victoria maintenance works are scheduled to take place across the Wimmera this summer.
Western region director Mal Kersting said the soil composition in the Wimmera affected the stability of roads.
“The issue with the soil type in the Wimmera is that it is so absorbent, that it swells and shrinks with the seasons and it never returns to quite the same shape,” he said.
“As many drivers can attest, this can cause issues with pavement surfaces on the roads and it is one of the major reasons that we see quite a lot of cracking and undulations occurring on roads around the Wimmera region, especially when you factor in the number of freight vehicles which travel these roads.”
A band of moisture-absorbing reactive clay runs across the region known as the Wimmera Wave, starting at Dadswells Bridge and ending at Nhill.
To combat the clay’s unique properties, Mr Kersting said RRV undertook regular proactive maintenance across the Wimmera region to repair and rehabilitate road surfaces to extend their lifespan.
“Due to this issue, roads in the Wimmera can tend to have a slightly shorter lifespan than those in other areas of the state, which is why we’re targeting major highways around that region as part of our upcoming maintenance program,” he said.
“The Wimmera’s primary producers play such an important role in western Victoria’s economy, which is why it’s vital that we provide them with the best possible connections to domestic and international trade markets.”
