Tuesday, 7 February 2023

 Melina BATH (Eastern Victoria) (14:03): (10) My constituency question is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety. The current Latrobe River bridge, which connects the two towns of Tyers and Traralgon, has been closed since November, and the community is none the wiser as to when the new bridge, which was promised in 2015 by the Premier at the time, who came down to the area, will be complete. So there is no access with the old bridge, and certainly the new one is not complete. Apparently Regional Roads Victoria has assessed the old bridge and it has major structural issues. The residents are being forced to travel considerable distances for school, work and medical appointments, and first responders are having to move and go via alternate areas. The minister needs to come clean and tell the community what is going on. So, Minister, will you explain how long the residents will be without access, provide a time line for completion of the new construction and share this with the local community very clearly?