TRAFFIC, chaos, frustration.
Three words that describe Kilmore’s Sydney Street during peak hours—or any hour, for that matter—as commuters and heavy vehicle drivers utilise an unsuitable and unsustainable road as a transit path.
With a 40km/h speed limit to abide by, potholes to dodge, and narrow lanes to manoeuvre, it’s no wonder that discussions around the Kilmore Bypass pipe dream have once again stirred, as residents wonder whether this much needed infrastructure will ever be built.
It has, after all, been in discussion for over 30 years, with the first official commitment made by the Kennett Government in October 1999.
Though promises seem to be made and broken with each election cycle or budget release (the Victorian 2018-19 Budget, for example, allocated $20 million to progress land acquisition for the bypass which is yet to be spent, while the 2024-2025 Budget delayed the project by another year) Mitchell Shire Council (MSC) continues to have high hopes for the bypass, even considering the location of the anticipated road in the 2015 Kilmore Structure Plan.
In September last year, almost a decade after that plan was released, Transport Victoria released a statement announcing that Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny had finally ‘used her powers … to prepare, adopt, and approve [a] Planning Scheme Amendment’ to ‘facilitate the future coordinated development of the Kilmore Bypass Stage One project’.
The confirmed route for the bypass is to the west of the township, proposed to begin between Costellos and Willowmavin Road, cutting through the back of Kings Lane and Paynes Road, before curving around to meet the Northern Highway at the Wandong Road intersection.
However, as pointed out in the statement, the project was merely in its planning stage, with ‘currently no plans for construction.’
A critical project for a community whose population is set to more than triple in the next 20 years, Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland voiced her concerns over the project’s decades-long delay.
“Year after year, funding is being allocated to the Kilmore Bypass, yet there still remains no credible timeline for construction,” she said.
“This is a project that has long been advocated for by the Kilmore community, and one that needs to happen immediately.
“Quite frankly, the Kilmore community is sick of the excuses. How can the West Gate Tunnel, a project expected to cost well over $10 billion, take just two years to plan, while a simple yet essential piece of regional infrastructure takes nearly 10 years to buy just two plots of land?”.
Another project that appears to have taken precedence over the bypass itself is a roundabout at the intersection of the Northern Highway and Wandong Road, which will see approximately $18 million of the $35.3 million allocated to the bypass used for its construction.
MSC Mayor Dougall dubbed the roundabout a ‘key element’ of the bypass.
“A key element of the bypass is the intersection at Wandong Road,” he said.
“Council’s understanding is that the funding for this intersection is included as part of the total bypass funding.”
Works for the intersection are expected to commence this year, with Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes stating the project was a priority.
“We will begin to see action on the construction of the roundabout at the intersection of the Northern Highway and Wandong Road in 2025,” she said.
“The pre-construction planning is complete, the designs have been released, land acquisition and other approvals are advancing. This project is a priority, it will dramatically improve safety and complements any future bypass works.”
Mayor Dougall stated council would continue to advocate strongly for the bypass, and invited residents to contact their local parliamentarians for support.
“While the project remains in the planning phase, progress has been made,” he said.
“Council has identified the Kilmore Bypass as one of its top priorities, and has been advocating for its development to ensure the town is equipped to manage future growth while maintaining its character and amenity.
“Residents are encouraged to continue supporting this essential project by contacting their local MPs to express their desire for the bypass to become a reality.”
