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It came in the midst of construction works aimed at addressing safety concerns at the notorious intersection of the Calder Alternate Highway and the Bendigo-Maryborough Road.
The project included replacing the existing staggered T-intersection with a large-diametre roundabout that could cater to the long vehicles that frequently used the local roads.
(BELOW: Slide the bar left or right to see some of the damage to the roundabout, as marked by Bendigo Advertiser reader Bill Whitbread.)
Lockwood resident Bill Whitbread had noticed damage to the kerbside concrete guttering.
He said B-doubles and larger trucks were inadvertently smashing and chipping concrete guttering that had recently been laid at the site.
On Saturday Mr Whitbread witnessed a truck carrying an extra-wide load that was forced to use the opposite side of the road as it negotiated the roundabout.
It needed to mount guttering and damage concrete.
“Once the kerb is at full strength we will be able to finish constructing the road surface.”
- Mal Kersting, VicRoads
Mr Witbread was concerned even after the roundabout was completed and concrete strengthened trucks would still need to mount the kerb, which could potentially “leave a mess there”.
“The main issue is that the entrance into the roundabout is too narrow, I feel,” he said.
“There’s plenty of room there (at the site). They should have made it a lot wider.”
Mr Whitbread hoped action could be taken now, while the roundabout was being developed.
VicRoads regional director Mal Kersting did not respond to a question about the width of the road but said damage had occurred before the kerb’s cement had time to cure to full strength.
“Speed restrictions are in place to assist vehicles in navigating the roundabout without disturbing the fresh concrete,” he said.
“Once the kerb is at full strength we will be able to finish constructing the road surface.”
VicRoads had designed the roundabout to cater for vehicles as large as B-doubles , A-doubles and over-dimensional vehicles.