Have Your Say - Guide future road upgrades in Colac Otway Shire

Published on 24 March 2026

Colac Otway Shire Council is inviting ratepayers and residents to have their say on how Council prioritises upgrades to its unsealed road network in the shire.

The draft policy is now open for community feedback and outlines a clear, consistent and transparent approach for assessing requests to seal unsealed roads.

Assessment of widening narrow sealed roads is also included in the draft policy.

Council manages approximately 1,061 km of unsealed roads and 566 km of sealed roads in the shire.

Council’s General Manager Infrastructure and Environment Doug McNeill said the draft policy provides a consistent framework for evaluating road upgrade requests.

“In recent years, there’s been an increase in the number of community requests Council receives to seal unsealed roads within the shire network,” he said.

“There is a significant cost to seal unsealed roads, and unfortunately it’s not feasible for Council to upgrade all roads we receive requests for. Council’s primary objective is to fund renewal of its existing road assets.

“The draft policy provides a framework for Council to prioritise road upgrades that align with its financial capacity and meet community expectations,” Mr Mc Neill said.

The draft policy applies to Council-managed roads only and does not cover routine maintenance and renewal works.

Requests for road upgrades would be assessed on criteria including: cost-benefit, number of properties served, peak traffic volumes, crash history/verified safety risk and future growth potential.

“With this draft policy, Council is seeking feedback on proposed assessment criteria which, if adopted, will guide how road upgrades are prioritised in the future,” Mr McNeill said.

Council’s Draft Road Upgrade Policy is now available for community members to provide feedback on Council’s website. Submissions close at 5pm Tuesday 5 May 2026.

Community members will also have the opportunity to speak to their submission at an upcoming Submissions Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday 9 June 2026.