By EMMA SUN
LARGE cracks in Mount Evelyn’s Warrawee Road have left residents fuming.
And Tim Heenan has called on Yarra Ranges Council to fix the road, which, he said, is barely five years old and is already in worse condition than many roads in the area that were built earlier.
“There are at least 45 cracks that have already been fixed, but there’s more appearing every day,” he said.
“They’re appearing on the top skin and the road’s less than five years old, it’s not supposed to happen.
“In 15 to 20 years’ time, will the road start to lift again, is the road ill prepared underneath?”
But Yarra Ranges Council’s director environment and engineering Mark Varmalis said the cracks were due to weather patterns, which was out of council’s control.
“The cracking is not related to the design or construction of the road, cracking as a result of ground shrinkage is common in dry conditions and occurs on many roads throughout the municipality,” he said.
Mr Heenan said he and his fellow residents had to contribute more than $15,000 as part of a special charge scheme to have the road sealed.
He said the residents deserved to have a proper road to use.
“I’m paying as well and I don’t want to pay for cracks to be continually fixed up all the time, I want them to have regular maintenance checks on the road, it’s only five years old,” he said.
“It’s great that they come back and have a look occasionally, but when you’ve got cracks appearing, little cracks become big cracks.”
Mr Varmalis said the road would be inspected as part of the council’s annual crack sealing program to determine the extent of works required to ensure the safety and longevity of the road.
