05 Jul 2017 Yarrawonga Chronicle, Yarrawonga VIC (General News) by Racheal Willett A $20 million upgrade of the Murray Valley Highway does include plans for a roundabout at the intersection of Woods Road and the highway, according to VicRoads. While there is no timeline as to when the roundabout will be built, the roads authority has confirmed a survey of the intersection isKFCP8626_Linework_OL.ai 1 19/05/2017 3:23 pm currently being undertaking to help develop options for the upgrade, including a roundabout. Yarrawonga residents have been eagerly awaiting the construction of a roundabout at the congested intersection since it was included in a funding announcement for upgrades to the Murray Valley Higway made during the 2016 Federal Election campaign. In June, 2016, politicians and federal candidates assembled at the Yarrawonga intersection to announce a $10 million Federal funding package for improvements to the Murray Valley Highway. The money was matched by the Victorian Government delivering $20 for the highway to be spent from Yarrawonga to Echuca. In March this year, Federal Member for Murray Damian Drum and State Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy confirmed the funding had been delivered to VicRoads and the project was in the scoping stage. Since then there had been little news of the project, until Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes announced recently there would be a community consultation process involved in the allocation of the Murray Valley Highway $20 million package. Ms Symes said more than 130kms of the highway would receive upgrades, including improvements to key intersections and rest stops, as well as sealing dangerous road shoulders. According to the statement from Ms Symes over the last decade there has been a significant increase in traffic volumes and the highway has seen an increase in crashes. Locals will get a chance to have a say on the upgrades through a community consultation process. Northern Region Regional Director VicRoads Mal Kersting said we are currently exploring options for this upgrade and are planning an engagement program that takes into account that this upgrade stretches from Echuca to Yarrawonga and that a number of road safety improvements will be needed. The $20 million project does include the upgrade of the Murray Valley Highway/ Woods Road intersection and we are currently undertaking a survey of the intersection and developing options for the upgrade including a roundabout. As we move through this process we will be looking into engaging the community for their valued input. Caption Text: Looking back: Federal National Party President Larry Anthony, Liberal candidate Duncan McGauchie, now Member for Murray Damian Drum, Federal Minister Darren Chester, Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie and former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson were all smiles when they announced the highway funding at the troublesome intersection in 2016. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with