‘Lives at risk’: Diamond Creek Road ‘Windy Mile’ takes the lead in hunt for Victoria’s worst pothole

Herald Sun readers have named a crumbling 2km strip of Diamond Creek Rd as home to the state’s most dangerous potholes. Have you seen worse? Watch the dashcam footage.

The Herald Sun last week launched its hunt for Victoria’s worst pothole and was swarmed with submissions stretching as far as Port Fairy to Traralgon and further upstate to Yea.

Diamond Creek Rd between Yan Yean Rd and Ryans Rd — known locally as the “Windy Mile” — has taken the clear lead as readers’ choice for most smashed up in the state.

Rough surface signs mark the start of the 2km stretch toward Greensborough, right before major divots wipe out nearly the entire width of the lane in some sections.

The road is littered in leopard-like spots as a result of failing patch jobs while drivers unable to avoid the cracks on the narrow lane cop steep drops into craterlike potholes.

Clayton Simmons has called Diamond Creek home for 31 years and has never seen the road in poorer condition, describing it as “extremely dangerous”.

“Many residents of Diamond Creek are disgusted in the negligence that has resulted in the poor condition of this road,” he said.

“You’ve got cars swerving over the double lines on a blind curve into oncoming traffic.

“It’s a 70 zone. You’ve got to slow down to about 30 to 40 and veer into the left side to avoid it.”

The worst of potholes along the Windy Mile in Diamond Creek, littered in failing patching repairs.

Mr Simmons called the government’s blame on flooding and rain for damages across the state “absolute crap”.

“I believe that the major cause of these potholes is lack of maintenance and neglect by the state government,” he said.

“It is quite apparent that this government is not committed to road safety.

“Roads are falling to pieces and it is obvious that the state government is intent on pursuing vanity projects such as the SRL, despite the fact that lives are now being placed at risk due to their inept policies.”

Have you seen worse?

Kerryn Robertson works in the area and said she couldn’t remember a time Diamond Creek Rd was in good condition.

“They’re not even potholes,” she said. “It’s like huge chunks out of the road, huge sections.”

Echoing the calls of commuters statewide, Ms Robertson slammed quick-fixes and patching jobs as “a waste of money”.

“They chuck something in there that lasts a month or two and then they have to fix it again,” she said. “What on earth is the use of it?”

Commuters have demanded the full restoration of Diamond Creek Rd, not merely asphalt patching and resurfacing works.

Local member Vicki Ward received 1100 responses to a survey on the road as of September, and wrote to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne to stress the “urgency” of addressing the condition of the artery.

In October, she announced that the Windy Mile would be resurfaced as part of the Roads Package and prioritised for works, with scope work to commence soon.

“Crews will soon be delivering repair works on Diamond Creek Road as part of our record $964 million investment in road maintenance across the state,” she said.

Approximately 2.3km of the road will undergo resurfacing works under the program.

Commence dates for these works have yet to be finalised.

Mr Simmons called resurface works “a start”, but still a “superficial fix” to underlying structural cause of the potholes, maintaining the road needed to be completely redone.