Project description

Council will seal the entire unsealed section of Bessie Creek Road, which equals 5.3kms of road.

Works will include:

• Road pavement construction
• Spray sealing the 5.3km unsealed length at its existing width
• Additional widenings and 0.5m shoulders in specific sections
• Rectification of the land slips
• Drainage and culvert works
• Signage
• Line marking

Council is planning to deliver the Bessie Creek Road upgrade in two stages:

• Stage 1 – Mt Eirene Rd to Halifax Road (2.2km)
• Stage 2 – Halifax Road to intersection with Gembrook Road (3.1km)

Funding

Cardinia Shire Council has invested $25 million into the Strategic Sealed Roads Project.

The Bessie Creek Rd projects is funded by the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery program.

Progress update

Construction update

Stage 1 works are currently at tender and construction is expected to start in April 2025.

Stage 1 is expected to be completed in June 2025, conditions permitting.

Rectification works on the land slips are expected to be actioned by November 2025.

Stage 2 works are then expected to start from February 2026 and be completed by April 2026.

Speed concerns

Council understands the community’s concerns about the 100 km/h speed limit on Bessie Creek Road. We are working with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) to push for a speed limit reduction once roadworks are complete.

Initial talks with the DTP have started, but we will need more traffic data and monitoring after construction to support this request. Although DTP approval is not guaranteed, the Council will continue to work closely with the road authority and keep the community updated on any progress.

Previous community information session

Council held a community information meeting on Wednesday 19 March 2025 from 7pm-8pm at Nar Nar Goon North Hall and presented plans and detailed designs for this project.Council officers were in attendance to hear concerns and answer any community questions.

Findings from planning and environmental investigations

Council completed extensive environmental, heritage and cultural investigations to determine how best to design and construct the road.

Council trialled using thermal imaging drones to survey the roadside along Bessie Creek Road to help identify native fauna habitats.

These surveys proved to be invaluable as they uncovered the presence of protected Southern Greater Gliders and Yellow-Bellied Gliders in the trees.

The ground penetrating radar surveys also revealed the significance of the tree and flora root system along the roadside.

It was determined that conventional road treatments should not be applied to Bessie Creek Rd due to the site’s constraints and challenges, including:

• the need for extensive vegetation removal
• expensive vegetation offset costs
• the requirement for extensive, additional permits to be completed for the protected species and a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.

A design and construction program has been proposed to address the requirements, permits, protections and plans required for this road corridor, and minimising any impacts to significant trees or vegetation.

The proposed scope of works now includes spray sealing  the 5.3km unsealed length of Bessie Creek Road.

To preserve the native environment, the road will be sealed at its existing width where significant vegetation currently exists, and widenings and 0.5m shoulders will be incorporated into the road where possible. Land slip rectification works and drainage culvert works will also be included as part of the project scope.

Although Council had aimed to increase the road width along its entirety, a compromise has been achieved, which has enabled the road to still be upgraded without encroaching onto protected vegetation, tree roots, disturbing habitats or prompting the need for a Cultural Heritage Management Plan.