Golden Plains Shire Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey has joined a coalition of western Victorian councils calling on the state government to reinstate a dedicated Country Roads and Bridges Program, warning that without additional funding support some bridges in the shire may have to be closed.

Cr Sharkey is one of six mayors from the Greater Ballarat Alliance of Councils (GBAC) who launched a joint state election advocacy platform in May, making the reinstatement of the long-running program the alliance’s top infrastructure priority ahead of November’s election.

Speaking to Chris Eddy for VLGA Connect, Cr Sharkey said the scale of the challenge was becoming acute.

“We’ve got 150 bridges in our shire and it’s particularly those bridges that just come at a massive cost — and it’s an unrealistic one to be able to afford on our own as a council,” he said. “So rather than having to shut them down, reduce speeds and all that, it’d be much better to be able to have additional funding.”

The GBAC advocacy platform was launched at Bridge 5 on Avoca-Bealiba Road in Pyrenees Shire — a structure built in 1942 that is currently load-limited to 45 tonnes, forcing heavy agricultural and freight vehicles onto a 19-kilometre detour in place of a direct 8.8-kilometre route. Pyrenees Shire Council estimates it would cost $4 million to restore the bridge to full load capacity.

GBAC Chair and City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the example illustrated a problem common to all six member councils.

“We are calling for a reinstated long-term Country Roads and Bridges Program that recognises the essential role council-managed networks play in freight, agriculture and connectivity across the state,” Cr Hargreaves said. “Across GBAC councils, roads and bridges are under increasing pressure, with funding not keeping pace with need.”

The alliance argues that while councils are responsible for a significant proportion of Victoria’s road network, current state funding arrangements remain heavily concentrated on state-managed roads, leaving local governments to maintain extensive infrastructure with constrained resources.

For Golden Plains, the pressure is compounded by rapid population growth. The shire manages approximately 1,700 kilometres of road for a current population of around 26,000 residents — a figure projected to reach more than 42,000 within 15 years. The council’s newly adopted $62 million budget allocates $7 million to rural road and bridge renewal, struck within the state government’s rate cap of 2.75 per cent.

Cr Sharkey’s specific project call is for funding to upgrade Post Office Road in Ross Creek — currently a narrow, single-lane sealed road with safety concerns — to a safer two-lane carriageway at an estimated cost of $1.5 million.

The GBAC state election platform includes seven priority areas: reinstatement of the Country Roads and Bridges Program; expanded regional and rural public transport; increased funding for digital connectivity and Regional Planning Hubs; enabling infrastructure to unlock housing and industry; maintaining freight access through Sunshine Station; and reinstatement of the Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund.

The Victorian state election is scheduled for 28 November 2026.