Advocacy group One Gippsland, which pushes state and federal governments for more funding on key infrastructure issues for all six local councils in Gippsland, has identified five infrastructure and freight road improvements that it wants to see funding for.

Those projects are the San Remo road infrastructure improvements, Sale alternate truck route, Leongatha heavy vehicle alternate route, Drouin and Warragul Arterial Road Network and the Traralgon bypass.

Member of One Gippsland – and South Gippsland councillor – Nathan Hersey told the Gippsland Monitor he has been frustrated with the lack of state and federal government support.

Hersey said that many of these projects have been left unsolved for decades.

“There's been talk about a Traralgon bypass since I was born in 1987, it still hasn't happened,” said Hersey.

The Leongatha highway junction, the bustling choke point for Bass, South Gippsland and Strzelecki highways, has caused so many incidents that locals now refer to the fender-bending intersection as kamikaze corner.

“The state should already be looking at this well in advance,” said Hersey. “The fact that this ends up as a local community issue that needs to be advocated for, to me, tells me that there isn't that proper foresight happening.”

Major party promises

When Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Katherine King visited Gippsland she announced a $3 million investment for the planning stage of the Warragul Drouin bypass if Labor is re-elected at the federal election on May 3.

King announced the funding commitment alongside Labor candidate for Monash Tully Fletcher – who has committed to providing $2.4 million to South Gippsland Shire Council to reopen the Leongatha South bypass.

“The investment will fund delivery of the new Simons Lane intersection with the Bass Highway at a safer location further north, closer to Leongatha,” said Fletcher in an Instagram post.

It’s not just the Labor government making pledges of commitment, either.

In October last year, Liberal candidate for Monash Mary Aldred announced alongside Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie that the Coalition would fund a $4.2 million roundabout at the Weebar-Main South Rd intersection in Drouin.

But for Nathan Hersey these problems have been around for too long with not enough state or federal interest.

“The community should be disappointed,” he said. “Gippsland is not a priority at a state or federal level, unless we make noise about it.”

The majority of arterial roads in Gippsland are not the responsibility of councils. “By and large, they are the responsibility of the state government and the investment and forward planning that just hasn't happened in a way that you would expect for an area that's experiencing growth.”

Safety concerns

“People are concerned for their safety,” said Hersey.

“The quality of the roads is so poor, they aren't maintained properly and they are congested because there hasn't been the investment necessary, it becomes a safety issue as well.”

One solution proposed is to bypass towns with roads to remove heavy freight congestion. These bypasses and heavy vehicle routes will divert trucks away from pedestrian areas and the commercial heart of numerous towns.

Wellington Shire councillor and One Gippsland member Scott Rossetti said that “this keeps people safer and our streets more attractive, while allowing freight to reach its destination more safely, with fewer delays and at lower cost.”

Congestion gets worse as Gippsland grows

Rapidly growing industries in Gippsland, including food and fibre production and renewable energy generation, will increase pressure on local roads.

“We need to continue to invest in road infrastructure that will handle the increasing movement of goods around and through our region,” said Rossetti.

For Hersey, he sees this issue everyday. “People are going about their daily activities and daily lives having interruptions through traffic that often can't even be planned for, you just don't know on any particular day whether you're going to experience heavy congestion or not.”

What are other election candidates committing to?

Nationals MP for Gippsland Darren Chester said that “our roads are falling apart, and the pipeline of community projects is drying up because Labor has cut funding for local government and a range of funding programs.”

Independent candidate Deb Leonard called for more federal funding at a policy announcement in Drouin. “I will seek funding to plan and construct the Drouin South bypass as soon as possible, to alleviate pressure on our roads.”

Leonard has also said she will seek significant funding for road upgrades across the electorate.

Labor and Liberal candidates for Monash Tully Fletcher and Mary Aldred did not respond in time to comment on this story.