By Eleanor Wilson
A “dangerous” unsealed stretch of Ballarto Road will be closed to through traffic until it is appropriately upgraded in several years’ time, City of Casey administrators announced at a council meeting on 20 September.
An approximate 100-metre section of Ballarto Road, between South Gippsland Highway and Clyde-Five Ways Road, will be closed near the intersection with Nelson Street in Cranbourne East at the start of November to curb operational and safety concerns, the council said.
The current timeline has the delivery of an upgrade to Ballarto Road in stages up until 2026/27 subject to funding and approvals.
But council officers said the increasing traffic and heavy vehicle volume is resulting in the road condition deteriorating to such an extent that traffic restrictions are recommended from November this year.
Council officers said designs for the construction of Ballarto Road to a two-lane road has commenced, but a lack of drainage infrastructure has hampered the design process and construction will depend on appropriate drainage solution and utility service approvals.
“My aspiration for this road is that in the future a permanent and safe road can be built,” City of Casey administrator Miguel Belmar said.
“But at the moment, as it stands, this is not a safe road and it is not the sort of road that we want, in Casey, being used regularly and therefore it is appropriate that a temporary closure occur.”
Access to properties and businesses on Ballarto Road either side of the closure will be maintained throughout the closure via South Gippsland Highway and Clyde – Five Ways Road.
Administrators also confirmed the council will seek approval from the Department of Transport to change the speed limit on the stretch of road from 80 km/h to 60 km/h.
The road itself has been the site of several collisions in recent years.
A review of the road crash data for this section of Ballarto Road shows four injury collisions in the three-year period to 31 December 2021, according to Casey Council.
Council said it now attends to reports of concerns regarding the condition of the road on a weekly basis, with dust complaints also frequent.
An initial cost estimate for the project was $20.6 million, but council says additional rates funding will be required to address the design issues and recent construction inflation costs.
“We do undertake to monitor progress and to include in future capital works budgets the necessary investments to upgrade this road as quickly as possible,” City of Casey administrator Cameron Boardman said.
