Yarra Ranges $150m road sealing program to start

Schoolkids forced to put up with dust blowing across their faces from drivers travelling on dirt roads will be among the first to benefit from a $150 million road sealing program across the Yarra Ranges.

The program will see 186.7km of roads sealed across Yarra Ranges.

Schools and kinders will be the first to benefit from a $150 million funding blitz to seal dirt roads across the Yarra Ranges.

Shire councillors have endorsed a priority list of roads to be sealed under the Federal Government funded program announced earlier this year.

Mayor Tony Stevenson said the first roads to be constructed would serve schools, preschools and community buildings.

He said by the time the project was finished, he expected all schools in the Yarra Ranges to have sealed roads serving them.

He said the “absolutely amazing” funding boost would help to transform the area.

“We still have a large number of schools where … people are driving up and down the roads near them all day long and dust is coming across the playground, it’s not great for anyone,” Cr Stevenson said.

He said the council had projected that the money would deliver 186.7km of sealed roads over 10 years, with 571 priority roads to be sealed through the project, benefiting 7679 individual properties.

Sarah, Loki and Ari with Mayor Tony Stevenson outside Selby Preschool on Lyons Drive, Selby — one of council's priority roads. Picture: Yarra Ranges Council.

Homeowners living on affected roads will have to contribute towards the cost of sealing under a special charge scheme.

But Cr Stevenson said the $7000 contribution per development unit was significantly lower than if a road was to be sealed outside of the Federal Government program.

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He said living on a sealed road helped to improve property values.

“I think the fairest thing to do is to seek a modest contribution towards improving those property values and improving the amenity,” Cr Stevenson said.

“By seeking that contribution it’s more equitable and means more properties across the Yarra Ranges can have their roads sealed under this program.”

Cr Stevenson said to ensure the program was delivered as efficiently as possible, the council planned to construct groups of roads in the same area at the same time.

He said the Federal Government funding was “game changing” for the area.

“We will achieve in the next 10 years (with road sealing) what would otherwise have taken over 60 years to do,” Cr Stevenson said.

The council will consult with residents before any work takes place.

For the full list of roads go to yarraranges.vic.gov.au