Council
30 April, 2026
Freight roads in line for upgrades
THE Horsham Rural City Council will apply for federal government funding for works on three priority freight routes in the municipality.
At Monday's meeting, Cr Rebecca Sluggett moved a motion (seconded by Cr Dean O'Loughlin) that council seek funding from the Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program to enable upgrades to Freight Terminal Road, Verandah Swamp Road/Banyena Road, and Kenny Road.
In his briefing to councillors, director of infrastructure John Martin said the proposed projects addressed "critical freight and logistics constraints, including increased heavy-vehicle movements to the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal, unresolved short-stacking issues, and growing industrial freight demand in the thriving Golf Course Rd precinct".
Mr Martin said the total estimated project cost was about $5.4 million, of which the council would contribute 30 per cent to rural works and 50 per cent to urban works, for a total of $2.14 million.
This would be funded over four years through proposals currently in the draft 2026-30 capital budget, he said.
The intermodal freight terminal handles up to 25,000 containers each year, with regional produce delivered by road transferred to rail for transport to various ports.
Council's plan includes developing a connection to the Henty Highway at Pimpinio to alleviate the practice of trucks more than 20 metres long detouring through Horsham township.
Widening and strengthening Freight Terminal Road would cost $ 1.7 million, creating a six-metre-wide all-weather surface connecting Verandah Swamp and Banyena roads to the Henty Highway at Pimpinio, would cost $1.1 million and upgrading Kenny Road would cost $2.6 million, Mr Martin said.
If its application is successful, HRCC will proceed to invest $1.01 million in the current financial year, 2026-27; $400,000 in 2027-28; $565,000 in 2028-29; and $165,000 in 2029-30.
In the past five years, HRCC has received more than $5 million in federal grants for similar projects on local roads and bridges.
Speaking to her motion, Cr Sluggett said she understood the agricultural community's frustration that the need to upgrade roads identified as farm machinery routes was not seen or fully understood by those responsible for allocating funding, but she felt the three projects presented were all "important and very good options".
She concluded by saying it was "very smart not to delay this further" and urged her fellow councillors to support the motion.