By Aneeka Simonis
POTENTIAL roadside fire hazards will be removed in preparation for bushfire season.
Grass on either side of Healesville-Kooweerup Road will be slashed, reducing fuel load and risk of possible fires spreading from road reserves to adjacent land.
The entire length of the road will be mowed between November and December as part of VicRoads’ bushfire prevention project in the south-east.
The Hills region will also undergo roadside maintenance.
Dead and dangerous trees and wood will be removed between Shepherd Creek, Nangana and Belgrave – Gembrook Road, Cockatoo.
The project to clean up about 8.7km of road will begin in October and be completed by the end of December.
Works will cost about $125,000.
VicRoads regional director Aidan McGann said that inspections had been taking place over winter to determine the most at-risk areas in the region.
“Our maintenance team works closely with Emergency Management Victoria, fire authorities and local councils to assess the areas of greatest risk and determine our priorities for maintenance works,” Mr McGann said.
“Bushfires are unpredictable, so we want to provide the safest environment possible for residents and road users as temperatures rise over coming months.”
Mr McGann said that VicRoads was also sponsoring the Living with Bushfire Community Conference.
“We’ll do our best to prepare our environment for bushfire season,” he said.
“But we also need to ensure that our community has a greater understanding of bushfire in Victoria and how they can best protect themselves and their community.”
The two-day conference will be held at the Box Hill Institute, Lilydale, Lakeside Campus on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 October.
For more information, visit http://www.boxhill.edu.au/event/living-with-bushfire-community-conference-2016/.
