After three land slips and road closures on the Great Alpine Road (GAR) in recent months, there are calls for remediation works to be fast tracked.

Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull, who has led the calls in State Parliament, said he was told last November funds had been allocated, after raising the matter in the Legislative Assembly.

“The irony was that last week the GAR was closed as a pre-emptive measure as road slips were predicted after the heavy rain. If we are at a stage where the landslips are being predicted, surely it is time to fast track the work to fix it,” he said.

Mr Bull wrote to the Minister last year after retired engineers raised concerns that the steep rock faces would almost certainly result in rock falls.

“I received a response that stated geotechnical assessments were underway and that funds had been allocated to the Namestone Point area of the Great Alpine for works. It also said the site was a highest priority and further slips were a potential hazard.

“The response went on to say potential solutions were rock netting, benching, rock anchors or other treatments.

“That was in early November, but here we are seven months later with no work having commenced and no announcement of when it will be started or finished.

“It is really not good enough given it is very difficult to predict when a rock fall will occur that could claim a life. When you know there is a fault that is life threatening, it should be fixed pronto.

“The work should have been done when the road was widened. It just should not have been left like this without being finished properly. Those with experience in the field said this would happen and they have been proven right.

“So I am urging VicRoads to get in there and get it sorted before we have a disaster,” Mr Bull said.

Caption: Image supplied of the recent Great Alpine Road landslip which caused the road closure in May.

Tuesday, 15 June 2021