Bass Coast’s unsealed road network consists of approximately 100km of unsealed urban roads and inadequate drainage, impacting approximately 7,000 properties and costing approximately $250 million to upgrade to acceptable standards.

Population increases, regional development and a strong visitor economy have seen increasing levels of traffic on our unsealed roads.

The majority of these roads were constructed in the 1970s with shallow pavement, no seal, no kerbs and no underground drainage. This now plagues busy streets with dust, cause flooding of urban properties and creates traffic safety issues. The lack of footpaths require vulnerable pedestrians to share roads with vehicles.

The silt run-off from the gravel roads and illegal house drainage connections to the sewer systems result in untreated dirty stormwater and sewage overflow spills in high rainfall events to flow into the RAMSAR-listed wetlands in some of the areas, which are environmental issues that could be addressed with road and drainage upgrade projects.

Sealed roads will:

• Improved access, amenity and safety for all road users
• Improved pedestrian access and safety crossing Bass Highway
• Improved traffic flow through Kilcunda, San Remo and Phillip Island
• Increased car parking in Kilcunda
• Improved access to and from Bass Highway
• Increased business and tourism attractiveness
• Improved access to public transport services.
• Better amenity
• A reduction in road user costs including both outlay when purchasing vehicles and maintenance costs
• Improved environmental outcomes from dust reduction, resulting in better environmental outcomes
• Improved conditions for vehicles carrying livestock, with better outcomes for livestock
• Reduced delays during wet weather conditions
• Reduced travel times
• Reduced driver fatigue