Our community group KORS wants to make its aim clear. It is “to preserve remnant vegetation and habitat by using as much existing road infrastructure as possible”. VicRoads’ plan for four lanes to widen the Western Highway to Ararat is called Option 1. Near Mt. Langi Ghiran the plan departs and deviates from the Highway. It would cut south into hills, with major earthworks and tree loss, with two new bridges.  KORS asked the environmental consultant Practical Ecology to assess impacts: on this route and on a careful renovation of the existing bitumen road with a new carriageway added just to its south. KORS terms this proposal the Northern Option. Two road engineers advised us on this re-design that satisfies VicRoads’ safety demands. Then Practical Ecology applied the law to calculate impacts on both routes, including damage to high quality vegetation beside the highway and a rare bush there. The Practical Ecology report says significantly less damage would be done by building in the cleared powerline easement with the existing bitumen renovated, as the Northern Option proposes. The State Park would not be touched. With minor alteration for safety, this route preserves local access.  Using this route would also avoid places and trees significant to the DjabWurung people. 
 As this does much less harm and can be built much faster, what's not to like? *********************** MORE INFORMATION
 The two possible routes for the next stage of expanding the Western Highway have very different impacts. Using the existing highway, is significantly better. If the road is going to be built, we want the lower impact route. The loss of ‘Large Old Trees’ (LOTs), and rare habitats, and critically endangered vegetation, and ‘fragmentation’ of habitat and patches are all far less on the Northern Option. It avoids Spring soaks as well. On one single measure of environmental impact, the two routes are roughly equivalent: this technical measure is of ‘quality by quantity” of vegetation loss.  How can this research from Practical Ecology be irrelevant? CONTAGION 
KORS’s aim is to spare all this AND avoid more damage in the future from the road-borne splintering of the landscape. The contagion effect from new roads in new places is well-known amongst ecologists and planners to be the most potent harbinger of damage long term. Worryingly, subdivision has already been discussed along the planned route. KORS would prefer a contagion of tree protection, and hopes all new roads will be built to higher standards, after this.
KORS is frustrated as the sense of all this seems to be ignored. THE GRASSLANDS
 Amateur opinion provides far less evidence in support of VicRoads planned route, Option 1, than expert advice received by KORS about grasslands. Critically endangered grasslands are present and significant, in paddocks on the planned route, and we have expert witness statements to support this. Some claim that the habitat along Option 1 is mere potential Golden Sun Moth habitat. However, this is untrue: along Option 1 endangered moths were photographed last summer by citizen scientist and KORS member. VicRoads has accept the extent of habitat is greater than was recognised at first. THE AGE OF THE TREES
 Tree age can be estimated, to avoid destructive sampling methods. Estimates are accurate enough to know that one tree is almost certainly between 700 and 800 years. ENGINEERING ADVICE 
KORS has two road engineers' affidavits to say that the Northern Option is viable, with cost advantages. Nothing fanciful there! With less earthworks, it will be faster and safer to build (besides lower emissions); it is the least impact route if the mandated design work is done. CULTURAL IMPACT 
This week, numerous artifacts of cultural significance were gathered on Option 1 and show that it poses a greater threat to a larger area of culturally significant country than was acknowledged to date. Respecting Traditional Owners cannot be genuine without acting to protect this area, when there is no clear conflict in avoiding it. LEGAL FLAWS
 Option 1 was chosen using data that was inaccurate enough for a legal case to be lodged, and a case is pending in the Supreme Court.. LOUISE LOVES LISTENING The Northern Option is streets ahead on merits, financially, ethically for indigenous people and legally. Please ring your Ripon MP Louise Staley’s office and let her know you support it, on 54 611 255. Or email her at louise.staley@parliament.vic.gov.au. Louise wants the road to be built as fast as possible, so the Northern Option should suit her. Please send us a quick email if you support us, at fixfreewayfiasco@gmail.com