Roundabout - Harcourt Progress Association

Harcourt Roundabout

HPA appreciates the maintenance works undertaken by Regional Roads Victoria who subcontracted Dja Dja Wurrung to spray, weed and tidy up the roundabout. The Association has also been in dialogue with Mount Alexander Shire Council to determine who has overall responsibility for the maintenance of the site.

The roundabout upgrade was driven by Harcourt Progress Association and achieved through a combination of VicRoads funding and in-kind support from the community. The project, however, has had ongoing challenges in terms of maintenance, visual appeal and cars mounting the gravelled areas. We’d like to address the problem and we’d love your help!

It should be known that there are some serious technical challenges:

High level of compaction
Inground services, irrigation and drainage
Traffic engineering, road safety and sightline restrictions
Scale of area to be maintained
Additional costs for roadside maintenance to ensure worker
safety
Working between various Authorities – Regional Roads, Mount Alexander Shire Council
Lack of good soil
High weed seed load
High radiant heat from road surface makes it a particularly
difficult environment for plants to thrive
Wind buffering from passing vehicles affects plant growth and dries them out
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The Harcourt Roundabout has faced a number of maintenance challenges since it’s initial upgrade, most of which can be attributed to adverse conditions for vegetation. Technical challenges have further hampered the establishment of vegetation :

- High level of soil compaction
- Lack of available inground services, irrigation and drainage
- Traffic engineering, road safety and sightline restrictions
- Large scale of area to be maintained
- High costs for roadside maintenance to ensure worker
  safety
- Responsibilities are dispersed across multiple statutory authorities – Regional Roads, Mount Alexander Shire Council
- Poor quality soil
- High weed seed load
- High radiant heat from road surface creates a difficult environment for plants to establish
- Wind buffering from passing vehicles stunts growth and desiccates plants

To address these challenges, the Harcourt Roundabout Working Group first met in June 2021. Convened by Regional Roads Victoria, chaired by Andrea Proctor Landscapes and composed of representatives from Regional Roads Victoria, Mount Alexander Shire Council, The Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation and Harcourt Progress Association. The primary objective of the working group was to conceive of a new design for the roundabout which would improve the appearance of the roundabout, remain resilient to climatic conditions and have a more sustainable maintenance requirement.

During our participation in the working group, Harcourt Progress Association representatives advocated for ensuring:

There is a robust maintenance programme in place to support the establishment of the vegetation in the new design and in the long run guarantee that the roundabout maintains a visual appeal.
Safety for road users, ensuring essential sightlines are clear to provide visibility of oncoming traffic.
The roundabout’s central location in the road network makes it the defacto gateway to Harcourt. Use this opportunity to:
- Welcome people to the town by placing signage on the roundabout, or use another design element to present this message.
- Incorporate elements of Harcourt’s identity into the design and presentation of the roundabout and approach across the bridge.
The new design is resilient to minor vehicle collisions and vandalism.
As much material as possible is reused from the previous design.
The new design is respectful of the cultural and ecological values of the Dja Dja Wurrung.
The plantings are compatible with a changing climate.
The speed limit approaching the roundabout from Harcourt be reduced and/or traffic calming measures be installed.
The medians on the approaches to the roundabout be included in any maintenance programme.
Sufficient provisions are made to deliver water and other essential services in order to guarantee the successful establishment and maintenance of the new design.

The working group has concluded it’s work and a design has emerged. Regional Roads Victoria will be providing a presentation on the proposed design on Thursday 31 March, 19:00 at the ANA Hall, 7 High Street, Harcourt.