Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Esmond bridge, Murray Valley Highway

Tim McCURDY (Ovens Valley) (19:05): (373) I am delighted to rise, and my adjournment matter is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The action that I seek is that the minister seriously consider making safety modifications to the Esmond bridge on the Murray Valley Highway, approximately 5 kilometres west of Bundalong. The bridge that I am raising today is located on the Murray Valley Highway, a major arterial road in our region. The bridge, which crosses over the Ovens River, is a very narrow bridge. It is wide enough for a car and a truck to pass, but only just, but it is hardly wide enough to have two trucks pass over that bridge, and that is quite serious on a major arterial.

It is common knowledge that when trucks come to that bridge they radio each other on the UHF to ensure that they do not come across the bridge at the same time, but cars with caravans do not have the same luxury, and there are near misses on a daily basis. Just last week a truck that was marginally oversized was stopped on the bridge because it simply could not pass a local car, which was made to reverse up to allow the truck to go over the bridge.

Minister, there are many safety measures that could be employed here, including flashing lights when a vehicle is already on or approaching the bridge, or a reduction in speed limit for vehicles coming from the east to 60 kilometres an hour. I am not suggesting for a moment that we need a new bridge at this stage or even traffic lights to make it only one-way traffic, but reducing the speed and having other warning lights and safety measures would assist in making this bridge a safer bridge for all. It is a major thoroughfare, and it is a very dangerous crossing.