Tourists and local residents will be able to travel the entire length of the Great Ocean Road just in time for Christmas with two lanes of traffic open along the entire costal route.
With initial construction now complete, work zones near Wye River and Separation Creek will be cleared this week, as promised, before the festive rush.
Local residents, business owners, tourism operators and visitors can now enjoy the busy summer period with an uninterrupted drive along the world famous road.
At Paddy’s Path, a team of eight people worked more than 1,300 hours with three excavators to install the first portion of the retaining wall. The structure required about 47 cubic metres of concrete, 132 steel posts and 183 concrete panels.
While visible construction activity will decrease over the coming weeks, the embankment at Paddy’s Path will continue to be monitored around the clock by geotechnical sensory equipment.
This equipment provides real time movement information and helps determine whether the road is safe to remain open.
At the landslide site 500m east of Separation Creek, three concrete retaining walls were installed below the road. This effort, carried out by a team of seven people over 31 days, required 57 cubic metres of concrete, 252 steel posts and 163 concrete panels.
The Andrews Labor Government announced a further $53 million earlier this week for landslide mitigation works along the Great Ocean Road starting next year.
The roadside remediation includes installation of rock netting, soil nails, more retaining walls and drainage repairs. Details of these works are being finalised.
Quote attributable to Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney
“Having both lanes open along the Great Ocean Road is important for business owners, tourism operators, visitors and local residents as we head into the busy summer period.”
“Construction crews have worked tirelessly over the last few months to complete the first stage of landslide stabilisation works before Christmas.”
“There’s still more to be done and that’s why we’re investing a further $53 million so we can continue the necessary works to make sure the Great Ocean Road is safe and accessible for everyone to enjoy.”