Rifle Butts Road upgrades firing ahead

Published on 30 May 2025

Ongoing upgrades to Rifle Butts Road have reached a major milestone with parts of the road now completed and open to public use.

Mayor Cr Steve Rabie said the upgrades were aimed at eliminating issues raised by residents, including dust, potholes and localised flooding.

“We’ve listened to our community, and we are addressing their concerns about Rifle Butts Road as well as planning for future growth,” said Cr Rabie.

“We’re upgrading and widening Rifle Butts Road from a one-lane dirt road to a two-lane sealed road,” he said.

Residents were directly involved in the road’s design process, with nearly 40 attendees participating in consultation workshops. This early feedback helped Council plan the project to meet the expectations of the residents. This included the protection of mature trees and native vegetation.

“We’ve taken great care to minimise the impact on native vegetation and habitats. By following the path of the existing road as it winds between mature trees, we’ve been able to retain as many of them as possible,” said Cr Rabie.

“The decision to retain curves in the road means the speed limit now needs to be reduced to 60km/h. We made sure residents understood that before we agreed on the road’s design.”

To further reduce the environmental impact of increasing the road width, retaining walls, barriers, and concrete kerbs have been used to reduce the overall footprint of the road.

The Rifle Butts Road upgrade project is a key component of the broader IMPACT Route (Integrating Mansfield's Productivity, Agricultural Communities and Tourism) initiative aiming to improve key routes within Mansfield Shire.

“The IMPACT Route will connect outlying towns and farming businesses with an all-weather access route, boosting productivity and tourism in the Delatite Valley region,” said Cr Rabie.

We appreciate the community's patience as we work to complete the rest of the important upgrades on Rifle Butts Road.”

The IMPACT Route is funded by a $9.8 million grant from the Australian Government's Remote Roads Upgrade Pilot Program, alongside a $2.5 million contribution from Council.