Works commence to reopen Benambra-Corryong Road
Works to re-open the Benambra-Corryong Road have commenced this week as part of the Upper Murray bushfire recovery efforts.
The works include the assessment and removal of hazardous trees, drainage repairs and critical road maintenance.
“The Benambra-Corryong Road was significantly impacted by the Upper Murray - Walwa fire and since then the road has also been damaged by flash flooding,” Upper Murray Incident Controller, David Pasztaleniec said.
“We are very aware that the Benambra-Corryong Road is an important road for the community and tourists, and we are working to get these works done as quickly as possible.
“Road assessments and hazardous tree works commenced on Monday (16 March) between Stacey’s Bridge in the north and Gibbo River Bridge in the south totalling 40 kilometres.
“This work includes the removal of all dead and damaged trees that could fall on the Benambra – Corryong Road, reducing the risk to people travelling along the road.
“This work is being managed by Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) and VicForests contractors. Once the initial works are completed Regional Roads Victoria will commence road repairs and reinstatement of road related infrastructure,” Mr Pasztaleniec said.
"Our focus has been on helping North Eastern Victoria return to business-as-usual and a huge part of this has been enabling the community to safely access their homes, schools and workplaces,” Regional Roads Victoria’s Director North East, Steve Bowmaker, said.
“Pooling our resources with agencies including DEWLP for this emergency response and recovery has helped deliver the best outcome for the community.”
The Upper Murray Walwa fire started on December 29, 2019 from lightning and burnt 200,442-hectares of public and private land, it was contained on 24 January.
Some of the hazardous trees removed from State Forest will be made available to the community for firewood as part of the Upper Murray bushfire recovery program.
It is also too early to know how long it will take to get the road to a satisfactory level to reopen for use by the public.
For all road and track closures, we recommend that visitors refer to www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/ and www.traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au for the most up to date information.
