Regional Victoria roads: Lavers Hill-Cobden Road dilapidation raised in State Parliament

The safety of a particular Victorian country road has been called into question, but there’s many in need of repairs. Tell us which road you think is the worst.

A stretch of the Lavers Hill-Cobden Road in the Otway ranges.

Cliff-face erosion and make-shift barriers have left regional motorists concerned about a potential collapse of the state-run thoroughfare.

The condition of the Lavers Hill-Cobden Road, particularly a section of the arterial link about 4 kilometres north-west of Lavers Hill, has been raised in the Victorian Parliament this week.

Opposition spokeswoman Bev McArthur said a local motorist had raised concerns about the safety of the link, only a short drive from the Great Ocean Road.

“I’d barely dare ride a bike on it, let alone drive a car, truck or farm equipment on it,” Mrs McArthur said.

“The side of the road is virtually collapsing due to what appears to be erosion and burrowing.

“Instead of steel systems on a bend, the edge of the road is only maintained by barricade tape tied to a handful of marker posts,” she said.

Mrs McArthur said photos of the road show the erosion is so bad that a huge tunnel-like hole has opened up under the bitumen surface.

“A road in this condition would never be allowed to remain unrepaired in Melbourne,” the Liberal MP said.

A spokeswoman for Roads Minister Ben Carroll said design and environmental plans for Lavers-Hill Cobden Rd were being finalised.

Work was also planned for parts of Beech Forrest Rd, Cobden-Port Campbell Rd and Timboon-Nullawarre Rd.

“Following assessment and design works by geotechnical experts, landslip repair and prevention works are set to be delivered on Lavers Hill-Cobden Rd in early 2022,” the spokeswoman said.

She said the works were part of a $115 million investment in upgrading key inland routes between the Princes Highway and the Great Ocean Rd that would deliver safer, more reliable journeys.

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