Getting on with getting our roads fixed
Published on 30 May 2025
When are they going to fix my road?
It’s a familiar call from residents and ratepayers, but there’s excellent news in the answer if you live in Loddon Shire.
Data from Loddon Shire Council’s quarterly Road Management Plan Defect Rectification Compliance Report shows that 98.6 per cent of defects identified on shire roads between 1 January and 31 March 2025 – whether from inspections, the public or works crews – were fixed before their due date.
That’s 1285 out of a total of 1302 defects – and the other 17 were all subsequently fixed.
A total of 188 roads (totalling 570km) were graded during the same time.
All that work has played its part in ensuring a safe road network in Loddon Shire.
Loddon Shire Mayor Dan Straub said the road network was by far the largest budget item in the shire and it was vital for its economic development as well as for connectivity.
“These results show that we are literally leaving no stone unturned to make sure our roads are as in as good a condition as they can be,” Cr Straub said.
More than $1.6 million was spent on the Local Road Maintenance Program in the first three months of 2025, and by the time the end of the financial year rolls around on 30 June, the annual figure will be more than $6.8 million.
Council has also released the latest quarterly report on the Annual Infrastructure Program and Flood Restoration Program, which show good progress.
As at 31 March, 58 projects, or 81 per cent of the total, in the Annual Infrastructure Program were completed, these projects ranging from road construction to bridges and culverts and buildings.
Progress also continues on the Flood Restoration Program.
To date 129 of the 675 projects identified under this program, stemming from the October 2022 floods, have been completed, at a cost of about $4.8 million.
Funding for this work has largely come from the Federal and State Governments’ Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, which has reimbursed $4.6 million so far.
A further $2.8 million in works has been done through insurance claims, including the Newbridge Recreation Reserve, Bridgewater Caravan Park and Durham Ox and Fentons Creek halls, while most of the work covered by the Council Flood Support Fund – with $1.5 million in State Government funding – has also been completed.
Council is still working through eligible projects resulting from the December 2023 flooding following initial delays due to the claims process.
“The situation we’re in now has been a big improvement on where we were a year or so ago,” Cr Straub said.
“All that hard work advocating for the funding arrangements has paid off.”