CONTRACTORS have left a large water hole on the west side of the Bass Highway, opposite The Gurdies Conservation Reserve, at a place where children frequent.
This problem began when surveyors appeared to have misjudged the levels of a creek fed by springs in the reserve.
A culvert was laid across the highway as part of the Bass Highway duplication work, but deeper than the natural bottom of the creek on the west side of the road.
A fairly major pit was built on the east side where water enters the culvert and this is protected with a strong grid.
Ironically it is inside the park where very few people go.
For some reason no safety measures were put in place on the outlet side of the culvert.
The culvert could have been lifted almost a metre without impact on the road pavement level and this would have prevented the inappropriate pondage.
Children pass by this area after leaving their school bus and have ready access to it at other times.
The water hole is a certain death trap for a toddler who may wander away from home.
My view is that designers would not have intended this end result.
But we have a water hole in a populated area that is more dangerous than an unfenced swimming pool because many parents are unaware of its existence.
That being said, I cannot believe that inspectors who signed off on the roadwork would allow this hole to remain, so why is it there?
Orders should have been given for a safety grate similar to that on the east side of the road to be installed.
Children are all too often drawn to this type of situation despite warnings from parents. This matter was brought to the attention of authorities nearly six months ago and only this week I was told in response to my inquiries that: “VicRoads recently provided us with their proposed action in relation to this matter.
“VicRoads will look at the possibility of erecting some further fencing (post and wire) on either side of the drain from the existing pedestrian fencing to the right of way boundary,” the response said.
This means children will still be able to walk around the end of the fence and back to the water hole.
This death trap must be eliminated by building a properly designed grating system similar to that built on the opposite side of the highway.
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