Kooweerup bypass opens

THE Kooweerup Bypass opened on Friday, 15 May, six months before its planned completion.
The arterial Road runs between Healesville – Kooweerup Road at Manks Road and Rossiter Road and the South Gippsland Highway in Kooweerup.
VicRoads South Eastern Projects Director Charlie Broadhurst said VicRoads hoped to minimise traffic while the loose stone settles.
“We have opened the bypass quietly, as we would like traffic over the coming days to play a role in settling the new road surface so that it remains smooth,” he said.
“There are reduced speed limits in place for the short term to allow some loose stone to be embedded into the road.
“We are pleased to deliver this project for the community, and thank them for their co-operation and support throughout construction.”
It is hoped that the new road will remove large vehicles from the town centre and improve traffic flow for locals.
Eastern Victoria MP Edward O’Donohue said the project was a win for the community.
“The Kooweerup community had campaigned for that for years and got very little hearing,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic $66 million project that will provide much better connections between the Bass Coast, South Gippsland, Phillip Island to Melbourne but, importantly for this local community, take trucks out of Kooweerup and let Kooweerup return to the more peaceful community that it is.”
– KATHRYN BERMINGHAM