Petition calls for road to be fully sealed

By Jim Mynard
BALLA Balla Ward councillor Colin Butler was expected to present a petition to last night’s Casey council meeting asking for the last section of Dalmore Road, Tooradin, to be sealed.
People throughout the district have been signing the petition, put together by community members, and the council is expected to receive hundreds of signatures.
This follows community anger over a lack of cooperation between the Shire of Cardinia and the City of Casey to have the road built through to the South Gippsland Highway while machinery was on the job.
People living along the section of Dalmore Road between the Cardinia Shire border and the highway will be asked to contribute to the cost of the last section if it is built, while the section in Cardinia Shire was fully funded. The petition says the City of Casey should seriously consider sealing the one kilometre of road.
It is written on the petition: “We suggest that while Cardinia Shire has machinery and manpower on site it would be more economical to have the road sealed now, than have to bring equipment in at a later date to finish the job.
“We also draw attention to the fact that as Dalmore Road is a connector road it is used to divert traffic at times of accident on the highway. Dalmore Road also carries a lot of commercial vehicles such as asparagus, sand, and fertiliser trucks.”
Cr Butler also gave notice that he would move at last night’s meeting that a report be brought forward on the cost of construction and possible sources of funding to seal the road.
He asked that the report consider the possible adoption of the construction method and financing option the Shire of Cardinia used to complete its section of Dalmore Road.
He asked that the report consider future maintenance and the problems that will arise to this section of road given the increased traffic flow that will result from completion of the Pakenham bypass.