Gerald Lynch
An Epping Road Upgrade sustainability boost for Wollert Secondary College has brought in the installation of new garden beds.
It follows the rollout of new bee hotels, built as part of a collaboration between the Major Road Projects Victoria (MPRV) team and Year 7 students.
The initiative aims to encourage growth of native bee populations by providing shelter from harsh weather while also helping the students learn about the bees’ important role in the environment.
The project began in July when the team worked with students at the college to build bee hotel structures from terracotta pots and materials sourced from the project site.
The team donated all the bee hotel materials along with flowering native plants, which were planted near the hotels to further encourage the bees’ populations.
In the second stage of the initiative, MRPV returned in September to donate and assemble three raised garden beds.
Wollert Secondary College gardening program coordinator Brigette Fletcher is thrilled with the way the garden improvements have inspired the students.
“The students have been volunteering their time for the upkeep of the garden beds, which has involved planting and caring for the plants as part of the Bee Hotels initiative,” she said.
“I’m very proud of the responsibility and commitment of every student to making the project a success.”
MRPV director Adrian Furner said the team wants to provide initiatives beyond road infrastructure with long-lasting benefits to the community.
“With these bee hotels and garden beds, the Epping Road Upgrade and Wollert Secondary College are delivering a great and lasting legacy for the local community,” he said.
“The initiative reflects our team’s strong focus on working with the community to achieve positive environmental and sustainability outcomes.”
The Epping Road Upgrade will benefit the college’s community with increased safety and travel reliability to and from school.
The project will add lanes in each direction between Craigieburn Road East and Memorial Avenue. It will also improve six intersections and connections for pedestrians and cyclists.
The upgrade will provide safer journeys for the 35,000 drivers who use Epping Road daily in Melbourne’s north, and will be completed by 2025.
