1960-61 VICTORIA COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED 30TH JUNE, 1960 PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT PURSUANT TO ACT No. 6229. By Authority. A. C. BROOKS, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. MELBOURNF. 1\o. 29 -·14s. 3d.J-9202ftl0. FRONTISPIECE: Overpass in Flinders-street-Portion of Kings Bridge Project. [COVER: Re-aligned and widened section of Hume Highway at Greens Pinch north of Kilmore.] COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT, 1959-60 CONTENTS PAGE 1. Extension of Cla,_,,ified Roar! Kystem 5 2. Ten-year Targrt ProgrammP 13 :), Commonwealth "\id Hoa<l,; Fund.< 13 L Receipt~ awl Payments 15 :). :\lloeation and ExpP!Hliture of Fund,.. for Hoad an<l Bridge \Vorks 17 !i. }lain Rmt<l< 17 7. Tourists' Hoads 23 t\. i''Ol'est Hoads 23 ~). e nelassifie• l 1\oad s 23 10. Ntat.P Highways 32 ll. By-pass Roads 3!:1 l '> _-\pportimmwnt of Cost of l{oad \\·orks 40 I:). Contraet and Direct Labour Works 41 I·L BridgE·.s .. 45 1;1. Bituminou.~ Surfacing 46 In. Elimimttion of Le\·('] Cros.~ings 4() 17. 'Flood Damage 47 l K. Works for Othr·r Authoritie" 49 .I !l. Soldier Set-tlement. Estat.~ Roarb 49 :20. Roa<lmaking :\JateriaJ.., and Rt>.search 51 :n. Compensation for Roadmaking Ylatt'rial Ohtaiw~rl from PrimtP Land ;)2 :~2. Control of Heayy Trattic 52 ~!:). X1.•w Accommodation for Hea•l Oflicp Ntaff 53 :H. Tomi.st Dc\·,•lopm<•JJt 54 2:). Decentralization 54 2n. Work Study 55 27. Photography Z·"· Displays an<l ExhihitimL' 57 :l!l. J:I unicipal A.""oeiatim1 Cun l'e r·enc<•.' 30. Conference of Y:Iunicipal Engim•<>rs :11. Boanl's Inspections :32. Legi~lation Affpcting th" l~oanl 58 3:3. ;-.;ational Association uf Australian :-ttate Road AuthoritiPs 60 :lL Australian Road l{e,,eareh Board HO .'3:-). i-ltaff and Employment f)! 3ti. Y:Iot-<Jt Registration ().j. :ri'. "\cknowledgment-< COUNTRY ROADS BOARD FORTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT Exhibition Building, Carlton, N.3, 21st November, 1960. 1'he Honorable Sir Thomas Maltby, E.D, ivl.L.A ., 1vf£nister of Public Works, State Public Qffices, Melbaurne, 0.2. SIR, In accordance with the requirements of Section 128 of the Country Roads Act 1958, No. 6229, the Board has the honour to submit to you for presentation to Parliament a report of its proceedings for the year ended 30th June. 1960. 1. EXTENSION OF CLASSIFIED ROAD SYSTEM. Throughout the State year by year an ever enlarging programme of work is undertaken, chiefly under the Board's jurisdiction, in maintenance, improvement and development of roads, streets and bridges to serve community requirements of transport and communications. Compared with the Board's detailed surveys of the deficiencies and needs the effort being made is admittedly much too small. However, with some statutory improvement in recent years in the basis of motor registration fees, in the application of certain commercial vehicle taxes to meet road maintenance costs, and in the distribution of Federal Aid Roads funds the shortage has been reducing expressed as a proportion of the yearly effort. After maintenance has been provided for each year a greater proportion of improvements and new work has been possible. Up and down the road system this has indeed been evident, not so much in spectacular works in any one locality as in a widespread betterment of the quality of service both in rural and urban areas, and this notwithstanding such a rate of growth of traffic as might quite fairly be termed " spectacular ". After reviewing the many factors involved, the Board recommended the transfer of certain main roads to the category of State highways and in a few cases in the classification of tourists' or forest roads, and the dedaration of a limited mileage of roads in urban areas as State highways or main roads. These changes and new declarations provide- (a) 628 miles of additional State highways in rural areas, (b) 20 miles of additional State highways in provincial cities, (c) 16 miles of additional State highways in the Metropolitan Master Plan area, (d) 82 · 2 miles of additional main roads in the Metropolitan Master Plan area and 3 · 8 miles in provincial cities, (e) l~i · 7 miles of additional tourists' road, {j) 34 miles of additional forest road, (g) 674 miles of existing main roads included m the above with amended classification. 6 The roads concerned appear in Schedules 1 to 3 on pages 7 to 12 of this Report. It will be noted that it is some of the more important main roads which carry heavy traffic between important centres that are being advanced to the status of State highways. Existing State highways are being extended into and through the centres of the provincial cities of Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo and further into the metropolitan area. Increased traffic volumes warranted certain of the most important urban roads in the metropolitan area becoming part of the declared main road system, Only a limited mileage of these roads could, however, be included in the present proposals. The Board's finances are insufficient to allow the general declaration of additional main roads in rural areas as yet. However, the most important unclassified rural roads are, in fact, being progressively improved utilizing grants to councils made on a contributory basis from that portion of the Commonwealth Aid (40 per cent.) which mm;t not be spent on main roads and State highway b. Within the limitb of the funds available. improvements will be gradually accelerated on the newly declared State highways. Better facilities will be provided on the heavily trafficked urban roads which become the Board's main roads. Unfortunately, existing responsibilities will not allow extensive improvement of the newly declared roads in the form of heavy construction works. Progressive improvement of the roads concerned, together with a somewhat increased construction programme, is intended. The Licola Road leading from a large timber extraction area to the sawmill and railhead at Heyfield in the Shire of :11affra, previously a main road, has been proclaimed a forest road. The Mount Dandenong Road between J\Iontrose and Olincla in Lillyclale Shire and the Olinda Road in Ferntree Gullv Shin' which were also main roads have been proclaimed the " Mount Dandenong" tourists' road. a classification which its popularity with metropolitan residents and interstate or overseas visitors well merits. The Board bears the full cost of >vorks necessar,y to provide for through traffic on State highways, tourists' roads and forest roads, and bears not less than two-thirds of the expenditure from the Country Roads Board Fund in respect of similar works on main roads. The estimated additional financial burden on the Board clue to the changes and extensions in the declared road network is £:300.000 in 1960-6] and £550.000 in 1961-62. The consequent variations in the mileages of roads in the Board's jurisdiction are shown in Table L l'ABLF: 1.-CouxTRY RoADs BoARD RoAns. 1\l.W-60. 1\160-61. miles. miles. State highwayR :!,50\J Main roads .. 9,163 Tourists' roads H7 430 Forest roads 371-i 412 Total .. I 14,3!11 14.514 On the newly declared roads municipal councils \vill still retain their responsibility of providing for service roads, excess widths of roadway. parking space, beautification and maintenance of median and dividing Btrips, lighting, sweeping. underground stormwater drainage, &c., as in the case of existing Country Roads Board roads . •.. 7 SCHEDULE l. DECLARATION OF ADDlTlONAL STATE HIGH\\'AYI:l IN RURAL AREAS. )lunicipa-lity. Road. :fe\\ Declared Title. Alexandra Upper Uonllmrn Road-· within the shir<' Uoulburn \'alley Highway Arapiles Edenhope-Horsham Road within the shin• Wimmera Highway Ballarat Shin' Hallarat Creswick Hoad- within tlw shirP :;\fidlaml Highway Bannockburn 1 Geelong Hamilton Hoall within thr Hhin~ ' Hamilton Highwav Bass .. lnverlorh vVonthaggi Hoad within the shin· Bass Highway Birchip Brulah- Birchip \VychPproof Road -from Birchip ~orth-Wrstern Highway to thP Kinnabulla \\'oomelang l{oarl Birchip Kinnabulla Woomelang Hoad within the ~hire ;-.;orth-Western Highway Bright Kiewa \'allev Road--within the shin· Kiewa Valley Highway Broad ford Gpprr Gonlfmrn Road within thr shire Goulburn Valley Highway Bungaree Ballarat CrE'swick Road within the shirl' Midland Highway Castlemaine Town CastlemainE'- Da vlPHford Road -within thP town :\lirlland Highway Colac Shire G-eelong-Hamilt.on H.oad --11ithi!l the ~hirr Hamilton Highway Corio Geeloug-Hamilton H.oad --withi11 the shire 1 Hamilton Highway Creswick Castlemaine--Ballamt Road from thP wuthc>rn :Vlidlaml Highwav boundaJT of .-;hirr to thl' CrPHwick -DavlrNford Road · . Creswick Creswick Davlcsford l{oarl- within the Nhirr , '1irlland Highway Creswick Da,-lesford--13allarai Road--from Crrswick-Davles­ i MicllaiHl Highwa:· ford Road to tlw eastPrn houn<larv of the ~hire Daylesford Borough Castlemaine Koad --within the horou.gh :Vhdland Highway Da}desford Borough Malmsbnrv-Davlesfonl Roar! -from Ballan Road :\lirlland Highway to Castlemai~e Road The newly clcclare<l Midland Highwa.'· will also include portion of .\lbert Lane and the portion of the new rleviution of thE' Ballarat Road in the borough Dimboola Dimboola \\"arracknabPa.l Road - within thP ~hirP Horuna Hiahway Dunmunkle :;\1amo- Rupanvip Road-within the shire vVim~~ra. High.;,.ay Dunmunkle Stawell \\"a.rracknaheal Road ·from Marnoo-- Wimmera HighwaY Rupanyup Road to Hupanynp -Murtoa l{oarl Dnnmunkle Rupanvup-Murtoa Road --within the shirE' Wimmera Highway Dunmunkle Murtoa-::Hinvip Road-- from Rnpanvup-l\Iurtoa Wimmera Highway Roar! to Horsham :\lurtoa Hoacl Dunmunkle Horsham-Mnrtoa Hoad--within the shire Wirmnem Highwa.\· Dundas Geclong -Hamilton Roacl --within thP shirP Hamilton Highwa:· Fern Tree Gnlh· Burwood Hoad --within the shirP Burwood Highwa,v Fern Tree Gnli"v Main Fcrntree Gulh· Road - from Burwood Road to Bnrwood Highway Olinrla Road .