MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire councillors have approved a $1m funding reallocation to ensure full delivery of the Eramosa Rd East rehabilitation project in Somerville.
The council voted at their 17 February meeting to shift $1m from the Bungower Rd rehabilitation project to Eramosa Rd East under the federal government’s 2024–2029 Roads to Recovery program. The funding boost will allow the project to deliver full reconstruction between Lower Somerville Rd and Western Port Hwy, with completion expected by the end of the year.
A council report noted, “detailed design and geotechnical investigations for Eramosa Rd East have confirmed that the pavement and subgrade are in very poor condition and require full-depth reconstruction”.
The project already had $1.67m committed, but council officers advised this funding fell short of what was required.
“The existing allocation of approximately $1.67m is insufficient to deliver the full scope of works to an appropriate and durable standard,” the report said.
Works will include pavement rehabilitation, installation of road safety barriers, and drainage upgrades along the section.
Council officers said the upgrades were critical for safety and to handle the significant volume of traffic, including trucks, that regularly use the road. Detailed design is nearing completion, with tendering planned for early this year.
The shire report said redirecting $1m from Bungower Rd meant that the project would now be delivered across two financial years [2026–27 and 2027–28] instead of a single year. Officers said this approach ensured both projects can be completed to a high standard without delay.
Cr Kate Roper welcomed the funding shift, highlighting the importance of both roads.
“We really appreciate Roads to Recovery because we’ve got some good things out of this, and these two roads are so important,” she said at the council meeting.
“They’re two of the major crossroads on the peninsula and they’re both in really poor condition in this section.
“It’s really great that we’ve got this funding called Roads to Recovery and this just is a bit of a moving about just for programming and they’ll both be done by the end of next year.”
Cr Roper also noted frequent complaints from residents.
“A lot of trucks move across these and there’s a lot of drainage issues in this section too, so very happy to support this one.”
Cr David Gill also acknowledged the importance of the program but raised concerns about funding levels.
“The allocation criteria for the 2024-2029 Roads to Recovery program are primarily based on population and road length,” he said, highlighting that the shire maintained more than 1700km of roads – “about the distance from Blairgowrie to Byron Bay” – yet received less funding than some comparable municipalities.
The shire’s Roads to Recovery program is funding six projects, totalling $7.17m.
This includes the Truemans Rd/Broadway intersection upgrade in Capel Sound; Arthurs Seat Rd pedestrian safety upgrade in Red Hill; and Bruce St/Watt Rd intersection upgrade in Mornington.
Other projects progressing will be rehabilitation works at Mount Eliza Way (Southern Section) road, Bungower Rd and Eramosa Rd East.
The shire report said the funding reallocation, which was voted unanimously in favour of by councillors, would allow Eramosa Rd East to be rebuilt “in a safe, functional and long-term manner”.
First published in the Mornington News – 10 March 2026
