Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Emergency road repairs on the fire-affected Whittlesea-Yea Road between Flowerdale and Kinglake are nearing completion, with the road expected to open shortly.
Inspecting the works today, Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas said Whittlesea-Yea Road was one of many fire-affected stretches of road across the state that VicRoads was working to open to traffic as quickly as possible.
“These terrible fires have had an enormous impact on local communities, property, stock and natural wildlife and road users need to be extra careful when travelling in and around fire-affected areas,” Mr Pallas said.
“While we expect Whittlesea-Yea Road to open to full traffic soon, many roads remain closed due to extensive damage and fallen debris caused by the bushfires. VicRoads is working closely with police and fire authorities to get roads open where possible.
“Before roads can be opened, crews need to undertake emergency repairs to road surfaces and line-marking, clear away trees and other debris, remove unstable trees from the side of the road and undertake a full safety assessment.
“There are many people working tirelessly to restore these roads to a safe state and I want to commend everyone involved for their efforts.”
Mr Pallas said that while some roads had already re-opened, many remained closed or partially closed due to ongoing bushfire threat and emergency operations.
More than 100 roads were affected by the bushfires and of those about 70 remain closed for repairs, due to active bush fires or for safety reasons, with some on restricted access for local residents.
“In the first instance, emergency repairs are being done so roads can open quickly but VicRoads may need to do further work down the track including resurfacing, re-installing guard rails and signs,” Mr Pallas said.
“Until this work is done, some roads may operate with reduced speed limits. Motorists should continue to take extreme care on the roads and obey closures while repair works continue.”
Other closed or partially closed roads across the state are expected to be fully opened in the coming week, depending on the road condition and advice from police and fire authorities.
VicRoads is working closely with emergency services to keep road closure information on its website up-to-date as possible.
For further information on road closures visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au.
