A GEOTECHNICAL assessment of the Princes Freeway in Morwell has found the town’s main drain is functioning correctly.
The report by independent consultants GHD found the ground movement, which forced the closure of the road for much of 2011, was caused when water flowed through a sinkhole into underlying coal joints, destabilising the adjacent Hazelwood mine wall.
“This report clarifies 100 per cent the drain is functioning. There is no requirement for anything to be done,” VicRoads regional director Sebastian Motta said.
The report found water pooling observed by Wallace Street residents was not related to ground instability as water was unable to penetrate deeply as a result of a thick clay barrier below 0.4 metres and water would only saturate the topsoil.
“There is no concern that there’s underlying water at the lower levels, it’s pretty dry down there,” Mr Motta said.
He said the report noted recently-constructed table drains had significantly improved water run-off by channelling it towards existing stormwater collection pits.
