The maintenance of roads and roadsides in Nillumbik is shared between Council and VicRoads.
Roads
Council has responsibility for local and non-arterial roads. VicRoads looks after our major arterial roads.
VicRoads roads
Major roads (arterial roads, highways and freeways) are managed by VicRoads.
Arterial roads are those which carry a high volume of traffic.
The easiest way to view roads that are the responsibility of VicRoads is to use their Map of Declared Roads.
Roads that VicRoads maintains include:
- Eltham-Yarra Glen Road: Eltham (Main Road) to Christmas Hills
- Fitzsimons Lane
- Bolton Street/Sherbourne Road/Karingal Drive, Eltham
- Bridge Street: Main Road to Bolton Street, Eltham
- Wattletree Road, Eltham
- Ryans Road, Diamond Creek
- Heidelberg-Kinglake Road (includes Diamond Creek Road, Main Street, Chute Street, Main Hurstbridge Road, Scott Street, Caledonia Street)
- Yan Yean Road: Diamond Creek Road to Doctors Gully Road, Yarrambat
- Kurrak Road, Plenty
- Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Road
- Kangaroo Ground-Wattle Glen Road
- Kangaroo Ground-Warrandyte Road
- Research-Warrandyte Road
VicRoads is responsible for both the maintenance of the road and the management of traffic on these arterial routes.
To report an issue on a VicRoads managed road, please report the issue to VicRoads.
Council receives a lot of feedback regarding increasing traffic volumes and congestion on these main roads. While it is not within Council’s ability or role to solve these problems, we do make regular representation to VicRoads and State Government regarding the problems experienced by Nillumbik residents.
Council roads
Council is responsible for the operation and maintenance of all public non-arterial roads. We ensure the local roads around Nillumbik remain safe, functional and well-maintained.
Local and non-arterial roads include local streets, service, link and collector roads. These are roads with lower volumes of through-traffic and mostly handle local traffic.
Public Road Register
The Nillumbik Public Road Register identifies which roads or parts of roads Council is responsible for.
This document is also available for inspection at the Civic Centre during business hours.
Roadsides
A 'roadside' is the area between the edge of a road and the boundary of a property, not including the footpath. In residential areas these are often referred to as 'nature strips'.
VicRoads roadsides
VicRoads has responsibility for roadsides along most major roads as listed under 'VicRoads roads' above. There are some exceptions which are listed under 'Council roadsides' below.
Council roadsides
Council has responsibility for roadsides for all public non-arterial roads.
In addition, we have some limited responsibilities for roadsides on major arterial roads. This includes footpath maintenance, and in some cases, parking and parking control.
- Diamond Creek Road, Greensborough and Diamond Creek: entire length
- Chute Street, Diamond Creek: entire length
- Heidelberg-Kinglake Road: between The Glen, Hurstbridge and Bambara Road, Hurstbridge
- Heidelberg-Kinglake Road: between Marriot Lane, St Andrews and Buttermans Track, St Andrews
- Scott Street and Caledonia Street, St Andrews: entire length
- Ryans Road, Diamond Creek: entire length
- Ryans Road, Eltham North: entire length
- Wattletree Road, Eltham North: entire length
- Karingal Drive, Eltham North: entire length
- Sherbourne Road, Eltham: entire length
- Bridge Street, Eltham: between Sherbourne Road, Eltham and Main Road, Eltham
- Eltham-Yarra Glen Road, Eltham: entire length
- Main Road, Eltham: entire length
- Main Road, Research: entire length
- Eltham-Yarra Glen Road, Research: between Research-Warrandyte Road, Research and Bells Hill Road, Research
- Research-Warrandyte Road: entire length
- Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Road, Panton Hill: between Cherry Tree Road, Panton Hill and Haley Road, Panton Hill
Our Roads and Drainage Maintenance team undertakes road maintenance such as:
- grading unsealed roads annually
- repairing potholes
- repairing and maintaining footpaths
- sweeping sealed roads on a six-week cycle
- collecting and disposing of dead animals from roads and roadsides
- installing and maintaining street signs
- installing and maintaining street furniture including bollards
A dedicated inspector identifies defects using the latest GPS technology.
Road Management Plan
Roads in Nillumbik are managed by Council in accordance with Council’s Road Management Plan(PDF, 1MB). The plan details the frequency that road assets are inspected and the standards to which they are maintained and repaired.
Roadside Management Plan
Council is responsible for the management and maintenance of approximately 1,200 kilometres of rural roadsides. Roadsides are the areas either side of the road and between carriageways which are not used by motorised vehicle traffic.
Roadsides within Nillumbik are valuable because they provide:
- safe and efficient function of the carriageway,
- an alignment for utility networks,
- opportunities for fire risk management,
- unique ecological, cultural and recreational value
Our Roadside Management Plan responds to the management issues associated with maintaining these values, in a context of the proper function of roads and their reserves.
The plan consists of three parts:
You can find details about Council's current major construction projects, including roadworks, on our project and works page.
Nillumbik has approximately 310km of unsealed roads. This is about the same distance as between Melbourne and Albury-Wodonga!
As part of Council’s maintenance program, every unsealed road in the shire is graded at least once per year.
Where required, additional maintenance is also carried out, including:
- regrading
- pothole repair
- shoulder repair
- table drain maintenance and culvert maintenance
- other repairs
When will my road be graded?
The maintenance program commences in the southern parts of the Shire in February-March and progress north over the calendar year.
| Suburb |
Grading scheduled |
Suburb |
Grading scheduled |
|
Eltham
|
February - April |
Yarrambat
|
April - June |
|
Warrandyte
|
February - April |
Doreen
|
May - July |
|
Research
|
February - April |
Panton Hill
|
May - July |
|
Diamond Creek
|
March - May |
Arthurs Creek
|
June - August |
|
Kangaroo Ground
|
March - May |
Christmas Hills
|
June - August |
|
Plenty
|
March - May |
Smiths Gully
|
June - August |
|
Wattle Glen
|
March - May |
Cottles Bridge
|
July - September |
|
Hurstbridge
|
April - June |
St Andrews
|
August - October |
|
Nutfield
|
April - June |
Kinglake
|
November - January |
|
Watsons Creek
|
April - June |
Strathewen
|
November - January |
You can report any road issues outside of the scheduled maintenance program by lodging a request online.
Your request will be referred to our officers for further investigation.
As a resident of an unsealed road, a simple step you can take to reduce maintenance issues is to regularly check your driveway culvert to ensure that the openings are clear of any leaf matter, or other debris.
Driveway (or crossover) culverts are part of a property’s driveway, and it is the property owner’s responsibility to maintain the crossover in a safe and serviceable condition.
This allows the water to flow along its intended path and away from the driving surface where it can lead to more road damage.
It also prevents blockages from worsening to the point where it may require a pipe cleaning contractor to clear.
When driving, avoid hard braking, cornering and accelerating; this can break the road surface apart and contributes to more corrugations.
Sealing unsealed roads
Roads are sealed in one of the following ways:
- Developers seal existing unsealed roads as part of their planning permit obligations when a development is built. In new subdivisions, the cost of infrastructure (such as sealed roads, footpaths and drainage) is shared across all lots to be sold by the developer. The purchaser of the new lot and its subsequent purchasers pay to get the benefits of the infrastructure.
- Landowners pay for the road to be sealed through a Special Charge Scheme.
Special Charge Schemes
A Special Charge Scheme is a charge levied on landowners who benefit from infrastructure works on assets affecting their property.
Implemented under the Local Government Act, a Special Charge Scheme allows Council to recover its capital investment from those who benefit directly from the works.
These works may include:
- sealed roads
- kerb and channel
- footpaths
- underground drainage
- car parking
- streetscape
- advertising
- design works.
Council calculates these charges based on the benefit to each included property.
Typically, Special Charge Schemes are initiated by residents via a petition signed by property owners indicating their interest in road construction. Download a Petition Template for a Special Charge Scheme(DOCX, 23KB)
Find out more by viewing Council's Special Rate and Special Charge Scheme Policy and Guidelines(PDF, 1MB)
A permit is required to perform any works in a Council managed road reserve (the public land outside the private property boundary).
These works may include constructing a vehicle crossover to a driveway, or connecting stormwater drainage to the Council-owned drainage system.
If you are planning to do any works in the road reserve, see Working in the road reserve.
You can report a road issue by submitting a service request through our online portal.
Road issues include:
- pot holes
- asphalt in need of repair
- safety barrier maintenance/repair
- edge break or edge drop off
- grading
- line marking
- street sweeping
Please note that Council does not maintain all roads - some roads are maintained by VicRoads. See the previous section on this page 'Who is responsible?' to determine if Council maintains the road you are reporting.
Report a road issue
You can also let us know about an injured or dead animal on our roads.