By Shelby Brooks
BASS Coast and South Gippsland locals who use Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road to get to Pakenham and Melbourne say they fear for their lives when driving on the notorious stretch of road.
Renewed fears have surfaced after a Koo Wee Rup woman and her unborn baby were killed in a collision on the road on February 4.
And a scooter rider was found unresponsive along the same road after a suspected hit and run on February 9.
The road has been labelled a “death trap” by commentors on a Facebook post made by the Sentinel-Times on February 10.
More than 190 people replied to the question, “Do you regularly use Koo Wee Rup Road to get to Pakenham or Melbourne?”, all expressing their fears when using the road.
Facebook comments
“There is nowhere safe to pull over for any reason, whether it be for a flat tyre or a car swerving at you… all of the intersections are death traps in themselves, especially if needing to make a right hand turn or going straight ahead.”
– Rachel Tierney“Yes, it’s a bumpy nightmare. I have started using alternative roads when possible as the potholes can’t be avoided.”
– Angie Verhaar“I drive it a minimum of 10 times per week – it’s a horrifying stretch of road that needs to be fixed!”
– Haley Soutter“That road is still the same as it was 50-plus years ago with a 500 per cent increase in traffic now. How many more fatalities before something is done about it?”
– Maryan Rowe Foote
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale said she has asked the Roads Minister to look at what safety treatments can be done as planning work to duplicate the 10km stretch between Manks Road and the Monash Freeway continues.
“The much-needed duplication is a massive project and one with a completion date in 2025,” she told the Sentinel-Times.
“Planning, land acquisition, environmental studies are all underway and, of course, if we can bring the project forward, we will.”
Ms Crugnale said it wasn’t worth risking your life to get to your destination two minutes quicker.
“I ask everyone that needs to use this road to drive to the local conditions of the day. It used to be 100km/hr, it is now 90km/hr but that does not stop anyone going that extra bit slower. If it is raining, go slower, if travelling at night, go slower if you need to get somewhere by a certain time, leave earlier.
“By going 80km/hr it’s an extra 60 seconds and travelling at 70km/hr is two minutes more. We have all seen people overtaking at speed with a closeness of oncoming traffic – it is not worth it.”
The two stages of the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road upgrade includes adding an extra lane in each direction between the Princes Freeway and Manks Road, widening the existing Princes Freeway ramps, installing new traffic lights at Greenhills Road, building a new bridge over Deep Creek near the water recycling plant, installing new roundabouts at Hall Road, south of Deep Creek and Ballarto Road, building a new shared walking and cycling path and adding safety barriers along the road.
“We anticipate appointing a contractor to work through a detailed planning phase of the first stage on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade in mid to late 2021,” Ms Crugnale said.
The speed should be 100 and shall be repaired properly its a major road otherwise why pay for a service if it takes our money and gives nothing in return. I don’t want to do 80. I take that road coz it was 100, now it’s 80 I don’t care. Forget the road if its 80. Make it dirt because vic roads and our government are useless I want 100 because 100 isn’t dangerous, the road repairs and negligence of road repairs make it dangerous at 60ks
I have to take the long way because there is so many potholes but it’s worse than ever Only been in Koo Wee Rup 5.5 years and that road is the worst road I have driven on. I do have to say the lack of care about our roads is showing, as today I got on the freeway and they had massive potholes but they decide to put that at 40km/h, its doesn’t stop someone from trying to avoid them which leads to accidents. Then you drive on South Gippy Hwy and more pot holes. Don’t we have to have a roadworthy card to drive on these roads but why is it ok for these roads to be not roadworthy. It’s a joke!
The road is 80km not 90km so they need to get their facts right before feeding us all the government bs. This road is absolutely a death trap. Parts north of Mankato road were redone a few years ago but they make the surfaces so thin they don’t hold up. The bypass for Kooweerup is no better. Our roads need to be built to suit the type of traffic. Heavy sand trucks run that road day and night let alone all the cars. Build roads to withstand the traffic. It’s not rocket science.
the roads ‘safety minister ‘ – BEN CARROLL _must be made to walk the length of that road …. MAKE HIM EARN HIS ‘tax payer’ .. paid WAGE
and yet Victorians allowed 11.2 million dollars to be spent on cable fences along the MUCH BETTER SOUTH GIPPSLAND HWY
Our family lost a brother and brother in law to 3 sisters and a mother who has lost her firstborn son not to mention a wife that is left behind with 2 children and 5 grandchildren left to cope from this tragic accident that occurred by a hit and run accident along that road on 9th February. From what we have heard and read about this road it is like a racing track with accidents and fatalities waiting to happen. There were 4 fatalities in that 1 week of February alone, loss of life that could have been avoided. Granted it is peoples driving that is ultimately responsible for such tragedies but reducing the speed limit even more would be a good start to give drivers a chance of driving without fear of a terrible accident happening and causing heartache over loss of a loved one to families left behind to cope with life without a loved one. Maybe they could even put in crash barriers in at the most dangerous spots as a start.Surely that is not too much to ask knowing how traffic has increased along that road as houses continue to be built. Perhaps builders of these houses can be forced to offer something for the community like making improvements to the road that is affected by the increase of traffic that it will create by building these houses.
Why has there been signs on the road for more than a year advising of the upgrade when nothing has been done to start works? Government spin?