The construction of the 18.5 km section between Foster and Welshpool will begin on Friday February 8.
A Sod Turning Celebration event at 11:45 AM featuring the Hon Peter Ryan MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development, and various councillors from the South Gippsland Shire Council, will take place at the beginning of the new section in Foster near the corner of Charity Lane and Lower Franklin Rd.
The project cost of approximately $2 million is being funded by the Victorian government and the South Gippsland Shire Council, and will include a gravel surface and 12 bridges.
This extension will see the South Gippsland Rail Trail run continuously from Meeniyan to Welshpool, a total of nearly 50 km.
In other news regarding the Great Southern Rail trail, South Gippsland Shire Council has applied for a grant of $40,000 from Regional Development Victoria. At this stage the grant is yet to be approved.
The grant is intended to fund an investigation into the structural integrity of the three wooden bridges in the Black Spur section of the Great Southern Rail Trail, just outside the town of Koonwarra, 8 km south of Leongatha.
Ultimately this will determine whether or not the Great Southern Rail Trail could be connected between Koonwarra and Meeniyan, over the bridges. At present the rail trail from Leongatha ends just outside of Koonwarra and a 2.6km diversion onto the busy and narrow South Gippsland Highway is necessary to reach the rail trail again, about half way to Meeniyan. This is a significant deterrent to many rail trail users.
While it would be wonderful to see the long timber bridges back in use again, Rail Trails Australia would like to see the study also consider new bridge options to go beside the timber bridges that may potentially have cheaper initial costs and probably significantly less long term maintenance issues. A similar approach was taken for the Pumphouse Creek bridge near Meeniyan.
And all things positive, if the bridges near Koonwarra can be connected to the existing trail, the South Gippsland Rail Trail will run from Leongatha to Welshpool with a continuous span of 66 km.
Rail Trails Australia congratulates the South Gippsland Shire Council on the very significant commitment it is making to getting the Great Southern Rail Trail fully completed.
Further updates are expected in the coming months.
For more details about the South Gippsland Rail Trail see our South Gippsland Rail Trail Description.
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Register for news updatesPaul Baker has cycled over 2,400 kilometers since the start of January. The 47-year-old set himself the goal of riding a...
Plans for a rail trail in the NSW regional city of Goulburn are a step closer, after the Goulburn Mulwaree Council voted...
Wellington Shire Council, in conjunction with South Gippsland Shire Council, is constructing 21km of the Great Southern ...
After the recent Rail Trails Australia annual general meeting, attendees were treated to discussion from legendary cycli...
The Queensland Government has just released its third action plan under the 10-year Queensland Cycling Strategy for 2023...
The restoration of the 770m long iconic Snowy River trestle bridge on the East Gippsland Rail Trail has not been immune ...
The plan to link the Great Southern Rail Trail and Bass Coast Rail Trail at Nyora has taken a further step as tenders fo...
The extension of the Mary Valley Rail Trail (MVRT) in south-east Queensland has taken some crucial steps forward in rece...
In 2020 the Adelaide Hills Council was successful in securing $2.6m in funding from the Federal Government to complete s...
An enjoyable morning was had by nearly 350 people who attended the official opening of a new 11k section of the Mary to ...
A motion for supporting a rail trail through Byron Shire was passed by Byron Bay Council — it is a wonderful outco...
An expert study just released affirms the transformative effect a rail trail will have on the Central Victoria. The 9-...
The Batlow Tumut Rail Trail Association has announced that funding has been secured for a feasibility study update, a ke...
The 12 Apostles Trail is scheduled for completion this November. This trail extends the current 38km Camperdown to Tim...
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