The Victorian Government will invest $53 million to repair and improve the surface of the Great Ocean Road to reduce the risk of future closure due to damage.
The 240km iconic tourist route will receive urgent repairs, including new rock fall netting, retaining walls and armour stone to prevent erosion by waves.
New traffic management technology, including electronic traveller information signs, CCTV monitoring devices, real time traffic counters and more signage will also be installed to help tourists and residents in an emergency.
The funding will ensure communities along the Great Ocean Road remain connected during an emergency such as a bushfire or flood.
It will also safeguard the road which will benefit local residents, business owners and tourism operators who depend on it for their livelihoods.
Victorian Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan, said, “The Great Ocean Road is one of the most iconic tourist roads in Australia – we’ve been working hard to keep it open and accessible to tourists and the local community.
“We will keep working to support local residents, communities and businesses right along the Great Ocean Road as they continue the recovery process.”
The Great Ocean Road is Australia’s most visited region and the works aim to minimise risks such as rockfalls, landslides and erosion – keeping it open for business.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, said, “It’s just not good enough to lock out tourists and locals every time there’s an extreme weather event – we’re doing the work to make sure this beautiful part of our state is always open for business.”
This investment is on top of the $50 million the Labor Government is joint funding with the Commonwealth for capital works and maintenance on the Great Ocean Road between Apollo Bay and Allansford.
The work will complement the $2 million emergency project announced by the Government in November 2016 to build a concrete wall to stabilise the embankment between Wye River and Separation Creek. This will allow two lanes to be opened to traffic from tomorrow.
The works will start in early 2017 and include further investigations along the length of the Great Ocean Road.
