Council & Politics
29 May, 2026
Mayors unite over ageing roads and bridges
PYRENEES Shire Council has joined forces with neighbouring municipalities in a push to restore road and bridge funding before November’s election. The Greater Ballarat Alliance of Councils, which includes Pyrenees Shire, launched its state election advocacy platform this week calling on the Victorian Government to reinstate a long-term Country Roads and Bridges Program for regional councils.
The councils say the program is needed to address growing pressure on council-managed road and bridge networks across western Victoria, where ageing infrastructure, rising freight demand and constrained funding are impacting safety, productivity and economic growth.
Pyrenees Shire Mayor Damian Ferrari was joined by other mayors at Bridge 5 on Avoca–Bealiba Road in Pyrenees Shire - a clear example of the infrastructure challenge being experienced across all six GBAC member councils.
Bridge 5 on Avoca–Bealiba Road was built in 1942 and is currently load-limited to 45-tonnes, restricting access for heavy agricultural and freight vehicles.
This restriction forces heavy vehicles to take a 19-kilometre route compared to the direct 8.8 kilometre route along Avoca–Bealiba Road, increasing travel time, transport costs and inefficiencies for local industry.
Pyrenees Shire Council estimates it would cost $4 million to restore Bridge 5 to full load capacity and improve safety and connectivity.
Mayor Ferrari said from a council point of view, better funding for roads and bridges is at the top of council’s wish-list ahead of the election.
“We’ve got about 2,000 kilometres of roads and we’ve got 150 bridges and a significant amount of our funding goes to road maintenance repair and renewal.
“The problem is the roads are deteriorating as the bridges are and the infrastructure and we simply don’t have the rate base and the funding to do all the work we need. We need significant funding,” Cr Ferrari said.
“Roads and bridges are a core function of council, and the cost of road construction, sealing and maintenance is increasing higher than our income. My concern is our roads and bridges will become unsafe and inefficient without additional commitment to these direct and untied funds.”
GBAC Chair and Mayor of Ballarat Tracey Hargreaves said a better funding model from the state government was needed as a matter of urgency.
“Bridge 5 reflects a wider issue across regional Victoria that GBAC is highlighting through its state election advocacy,” she said.
“We are calling for a reinstated long-term Country Roads and Bridges Program that recognises the essential role council-managed networks play in freight, agriculture and connectivity across the state. Across GBAC councils, roads and bridges are under increasing pressure, with funding not keeping pace with need,” Cr Hargreaves said.
Locally, the condition of bridges like Bridge 5 affects nearby businesses and agricultural producers such as Pyrenees Hay and Howell Livestock Transport, which face longer travel times, higher costs and reduced efficiency in moving goods.
Howell Livestock Transport’s Graham Howell said the condition of local bridges is impacting productivity.
“Howell Livestock Transport’s B-double trucks must divert around the Avoca-Bealiba Road bridge because of its current 45-tonne load limit. This means our truck drivers must travel an extra 10 kilometres out of their way each time they use this route. We need more funding for roads and bridges in country Victoria, and particularly for load limited bridges like this which are costing us valuable time, money, productivity, and efficiency,” Mr Howell said.
“There are numerous bridges in the Pyrenees Shire that have got 30 tonne load limits on them and we can only get over them in smaller trucks so it makes a huge difference.
“It if about productivity and efficiency because if it’s not costing us money it’s costing our clients money.
“We have to think about where we are going and how we are going to get into these properties,” Mr Howell said.
Julie Bartlett from Pyrenees Hay strongly supports the push for a better funding model for rural councils.
"Pyrenees Hay is a very strong supporter of increasing funding for roads and bridges in Pyrenees Shire. Having a 45-tonne load limit on the nearby Avoca-Bealiba Road bridge has added substantial travel time for our business, increased costs and affected our efficiency in getting our product in from our growers,” she said.
Central Goldfields Mayor Ben Greene said many councils are struggling to make ends meet.
“Like many rural councils, we are now facing one of the toughest financial periods in decades. The reality is we cannot maintain our critical road networks without strong, ongoing State Government support,” Cr Greene said.
The councils say they are responsible for a significant proportion of Victoria’s road network, yet current funding arrangements remain heavily concentrated on state-managed roads, leaving local governments to maintain extensive and essential infrastructure networks with limited resources.
In the lead up to the Victorian State election in November, GBAC is calling for the reinstatement of a long-term Country Roads and Bridges Program, alongside a broader package of state election advocacy priorities aimed at supporting regional growth, infrastructure delivery and local government capacity across western Victoria.
Priorities include;
1. Reinstate the Country Roads and Bridges Program
2. Expand regional and rural public transport
3. Increase funding for digital connectivity
4. Increase funding for Regional Planning Hubs
5. Fund enabling infrastructure to unlock housing and industry
6. Maintain freight access through Sunshine Station
7. Reinstate the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund
Read More: Avoca, Natte Yalock