By Danielle Kutchel
Drivers have blasted the safety of Baxter-Tooradin Road, describing it as a disaster, despite a recent State Government safety upgrade.
Multiple drivers who regularly travel the road have told Star News the section between Fisheries Road and the South Gippsland Highway is riddled with potholes and unsafe to drive on.
One driver described it as “an unmitigated disaster”.
The State Government completed safety works on the section of road in April this year, installing flexible safety barriers on the left side and centre median.
The road was also resealed and widened, and reflective markers were installed to improve visibility.
But one driver, who uses the road on a daily basis, said he was “irritated” the government had spent 18 months and several million dollars only for the road to turn into “a piece of crap”.
“The road surface is so bad that it’s constantly being potholed by the trucks and traffic.
“After spending that much money and time, I would have expected the surface of the road would be better,” he said.
It’s rough as. Dangerous as hell, I reckon.”
Another regular user of the road said she didn’t think the roadworks had made the road any safer.
“There are no lights whatsoever, so when driving at night time it is confusing to see where the lanes are heading, especially with the safety barriers interspersed in the middle of the road, coming out of nowhere in the dark,” she said.
“It’s annoying to see the condition of the road itself hasn’t improved and the potholes and dips keep appearing making it a bumpy ride.”
A Department of Transport spokesperson said the safety barriers were installed “to reduce road trauma and save lives”.
Between 2013 and 2017, 13 people were seriously injured on Baxter-Tooradin Road between Fisheries Road and the South Gippsland Highway, eight of which were caused by head-on collisions between vehicles
“The Department of Transport regularly inspects the road network, including Baxter-Tooradin Road, to identify any potential hazards to road users and carry out appropriate maintenance,” the spokesperson said.
