We constantly observe and hear about advances in technology and know-how, and how Australia is determined to be at the forefront of innovation and development.

Great. We need to be go-getters and applaud Australia and its state and territory governments in their attempts to set international benchmarks.

But it stands to reason that every now and then we need to stop for a moment and consider whether what we’ve already developed and what we’re still doing is appropriate.

We need to do this to ensure we retain credibility and avoid contradictions when spruiking about what we can and can’t achieve.

Many of the more imaginative and adventurous among us would have absorbed latest information about Australia re-joining the international space race with enthusiasm.

It is, after all, exciting, let alone an opportunity for our involvement to generate all sorts of jobs.

It might seem a curious comparison, but at the same time we’re planning to help work out ways to extend the human reach in the universe, we don’t seem to have technology to make our roads last.

Motorists on the Western Highway between the South Australian border and Ballarat are seeing plenty to suggest Victorian roads, especially on our highways, are falling to bits far too easily.

It is far from a secret that road maintenance, let alone construction, is an incredibly thirsty soak on financial assets of all levels of government.

Fixing roads must seem almost like throwing money to the wind yet we’re a big country and we need a large and expansive road network. The value of having good roads is immeasurable in our part of the world.

Not only do our roads need to be well planned and built, but they also need to be able to stand the test of time.

This includes resisting all sorts of erosion threats such as intense and heavy traffic and complex environmental variabilities.

While we far from doubt the expertise of our road builders, how clever have we been in continually developing the science behind the engineering? Are we exploring possibilities and options in road-building products and techniques to their enth degree? If we are, we are far from seeing it yet in our part of the world.

We can only assume, considering roads continue to crumble while eating into our collective coffers, that we don’t yet have all the answers in establishing road longevity.

Perhaps we need to find out a way to build a road that can endure conditions on Mars before we build one that can last here.

The entire September 25, 2019 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!

The entire September 25, 2019 edition of AgLife is available online. READ IT HERE!