Council
3 February, 2026
Horsham Rural City Council to release truck route study for public feedback
At the Horsham Rural City Council January meeting, members moved that a report exploring a potential Alternative Truck Route for the Western Highway around Horsham should be released to the public on completion.
The plan is expected to be released in February.
The plan for an Alternative Truck Route utilises existing roads and remains relatively close to the urban area.
The option generally follows the alignments of Gatehouse and Cameron roads around the north and east of the Horsham urban area, after two options were shortlisted and evaluated to a higher level of detail, including consideration of more specific cost estimates, land-acquisition impacts, and constructability.
The Truck Route option aims to reduce traffic congestion while still addressing the needs of freight and heavy vehicles.
The council confirmed that they had not taken a position on the study's findings and would engage with the community before doing so.
Mayor Brian Klowss emphasised the importance of careful consideration and community input in the decision-making process.
“Council has met several times to discuss the best approach for our community, whether that be an Alternative Truck Route or a full Bypass,” Cr Klowss said.
“While the Alternative Truck Route report proposes a route on the northern and eastern sides of Horsham, the council has not yet adopted this alignment, or any other alignment, as a preferred option.
“We understand the importance of engaging with our community to determine the best solution.
“This is a critical issue for the future of Horsham and its residents, and we want to get it right.”
Cr Klowss said that the council would continue to seek a bypass solution that addressed traffic flow from the Western, Wimmera and Henty highways.
He acknowledged the extensive work done in the past to consider potential bypass routes and reiterated the importance of involving the community in the decision-making process.
At the January meeting, councillors wanted to make sure the public knew the council had not yet chosen this plan and was open to community feedback.
Crs Angela Munn and Rebecca Sluggett said they hoped the community would get involved because that would yield better results.
Both councillors said it was important that the community understood the council had not yet decided on the option under consideration.
Cr Cam McDonald also agreed that it was important for the community to get involved in the process.
"I think the option for consideration has the route too close to the town," he said.
"But the council has not made a decision, and this is an option only."
Horsham Rural City Council, in partnership with the Department of Transport and Planning, secured funding to explore two key aspects of the proposal.
The first phase involved a cultural heritage assessment to identify any constraints related to cultural significance along potential route alignments.
This was followed by an engineering assessment that evaluated 12 potential alignments against a range of technical criteria.
Scope for the Transport Plan items for consideration also included developing a more active and vibrant CBD and river precinct; removing trucks which don’t originate or terminate in the CBD to be removed from the CBD and river precinct; a more active and a reference for the use of existing road reserves for future development of the local and arterial roads.
The council committed $100,000 to the conduct of the Alternative Truck Route Feasibility Study, with the Department of Transport and Planning gaining $150,000 of Federal Government funding.
The consultants' work was completed in late 2024, and a formal presentation on the technical aspects of the report was made to the newly elected Council in early 2025.
After receiving the presentation on the study in March 2025, the new council group identified that understanding the community’s perspectives through a sound engagement process is imperative to decide on an issue as significant as a Horsham Bypass.
The council stated that it was most probable that many landholders and residents along the route identified in the Alternative Truck Route study would be significantly impacted by the development of this as a truck route.
This was acknowledged by councillors during the discussion at the December meeting, with the emphasis on consultation.
The council announced in December 2025 plans to establish a Community Reference Group to provide advice on the most suitable location for a bypass around Horsham.
The CRG will comprise a range of community and stakeholder representatives to provide advice to Council on this subject.
An advertisement seeking applications for the group will be published soon, and the Council will also seek public submissions on the issues the group should consider.
“We appreciate the work that has gone into the Alternative Truck Route study, and we now plan to refer this new report, when released, along with previous studies, to the community for feedback,” Cr Klowss said.
“We want to hear from our residents to ensure that the final decision is in the best interests of Horsham.”
The mayor highlighted the likely increase in heavy vehicle movements through Horsham, with the potential for renewables and mining projects increasing across the Wimmera.
He said it was imperative that planning began sooner rather than later.
The National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy 2025 identifies the Western Highway as one of Australia's major freight corridors.
It is inappropriate for this high and increasing level of freight movement to continue to pass through the Horsham urban area, given the impacts on amenity and road safety.
The December 2025 report to Council on the Bypass Planning Project identified a key risk as the potential for this issue to be divisive within the community.
The council has adopted a project plan with an extensive engagement process to address this risk, councillors said at the December and January meetings, to ensure the broadest suite of information is available to the community and the Community Reference Group to advise Council in the subsequent work on the Bypass Planning Project.
The final report on the Alternative Truck Route will soon be available for public viewing on the Horsham Rural City Council website and is expected to be released in February 2026.