By Callum Ludwig
An exposed gas line, caused by recent weather damage to the road, has residents on Brisbane Parade in Warburton concerned.
The gas pipe is openly exposed at two different spots on the unsealed road.
Brisbane Parade resident Ryan Brown said at best the road is graded once or twice per year.
“The road is starting to erode away and is becoming a safety issue. After the last storms, we now have exposed gas pipes in our street,” he said.
“I called the gas provider Multinet, and their response was that it is only a safety issue once you can smell gas. We’re at our wit’s end.”
Mr Brown has lodged a complaint with the Victorian Ombudsman over the issue.
Mr Brown said the older residents in street now can’t cross the road because of their own mobility concerns.
“We’ve got large trenches now, and they can’t cross because of the fear of falling over. Of course, the risks also are that a car could drive over the exposed gas lines and cause them to burst,” he said.
“It’s always a temporary fix and we need a long-term solution because at the moment, all we’re doing we’re doing is wasting their time and money putting in solutions that may last until the next storm.”
Mr Brown said residents of Brisbane Parade were quoted about $7000 to have the road sealed in 2021 but that not all residents could afford it.
Yarra Ranges Council’s Director of Environment and Infrastructure Bill Millard said the decision to not seal Brisbane Parade was made following extensive community consultation with landowners on this road.
“Of properties abutting Brisbane Parade in Warburton, 16 out of 23 owners responded to the survey with 7 landowners supporting the proposed special charge road construction and 9 landowners opposing,” he said
“All unsealed roads have a regular maintenance schedule with grading of unsealed roads undertaken between two to six times a year, depending on traffic.”
Brisbane Parade residents were first notified by Yarra Ranges Council in May 2021 that the road was being considered for sealing through the Roads for the Community Initiative.
“Recently our region experienced heavy rainfall. During these times our drains can take a little longer to fully clear away the water and sometimes this may impact roads,” said Mr Millard.
“Unfortunately, we are experiencing wetter than normal conditions and heavier rainfall than we’ve seen before, which is causing further problems for Council assets and private property owners.”
Multinet is the gas distribution agency for Warburton and they will need to assess to determine the level of risk and the most appropriate response required.
Multinet will undertake any reinstatement works required to the road but if they need Council support they will let us know.
Multinet were contacted for comment but failed to respond.
