Mr Reid's comments come after the WWI memorial was added to the heritage list by Heritage Victoria and following community opposition to works that will require the removal of eight elm trees.

Mr Reid said it could be 10 years before a solution to traffic congestion was found if VicRoads' controversial plan did not go ahead.

"It is short-time pain, but we need to resolve the traffic flow problems in the town.

"It is a practical solution and it is already funded."

Mr Reid, who is also a historian, said the avenue was built for horse and cart buggies, not B-doubles.

"It might seem a little strange for me, a conservationist, to say 'let's put this road in and get on with it'. But I really believe sometimes you've just got to say, 'We have got to solve the problem'."

The avenue has already undergone a number of changes, including the replanting of trees in the 1960s to realign sharp corners, he said.

The long-term resident is one of the few people to speak out in support of the $200million proposed upgrade, which has divided the township.

VicRoads wants to extend Woolpack Road from the avenue to the Western Highway to divert trucks from the town and improve road safety. This has the support of the Moorabool Council and the Bacchus Marsh RSL.

It will mean splitting the avenue, putting in a roundabout, removing eight mature elms and relocating one juvenile tree.

The proposed extension is now subject to approval by the executive director of Heritage Victoria, following its decision to heritage-list the WWI memorial.

The issue has formed part of the federal election debate.

Liberal candidate for Ballarat Mark Banwell had suggested an alternative route, which would involve building a new road between the Western Highway and Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Road. But Mr Reid said such a proposal would require expensive bridge works.

"It is also in an area where water backs up from the reservoir so it would need extensive flood controls for the road."

Mr Banwell's plan would also require removal of old red gums from the valley and installation of a flyover for the railway crossing.

Mr Reid, a resident of Grant Street, which is heavily congested during peak hours, said his views were not self-serving. "The impact of heavy traffic on the town itself is becoming unbearable. We need to resolve this north-south traffic problem which should have been done 100 years ago."