The Andrews Labor Government is getting on with the job of upgrading Victoria’s road network, with new road construction, upgrades and maintenance across the state set to create thousands of new jobs.
The Victorian Budget 2017/18 invests almost $2 billion to upgrade regional roads, build roads for Victoria’s growing communities, reduce congestion, and improve safety for every Victorian, wherever you live.
The Budget includes $100 million for the long-overdue missing link in our road network – every dollar needed to complete critical design, planning, and preconstruction work on North East Link before signing contracts in 2019.
Work will start immediately with geotechnical investigations starting this month at 24 sites across Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs to provide a link between the Ring Road and EastLink or the Eastern Freeway.
The M80 Ring Road will be widened with $700 million provided to complete the final three sections of the upgrade, in addition to $300 million provided for upgrading the M80 Ring Road in last year’s Budget.
$300 million will be invested to build the Mordialloc Bypass from Springvale Road, Aspendale Gardens to the Dingley Bypass to slash travel times and create jobs in Melbourne’s south east.
The Labor Government continues to support growing communities in Melbourne’s north with $96.6 million for Stage 2 of the Yan Yean Road Upgrade, in addition to $131.2 million in last year’s Budget for Stage 1, and other projects including up to $139.4 million to upgrade Plenty Road.
The West Gate Bridge will get $58.6 million over the next three years for essential maintenance work to keep this critical infrastructure in top condition for the 200,000 drivers and freight operators travelling over it each day.
More than half a billion will be invested in the next stage of the transformation of the regional road network.
The Budget includes a $260.3 million boost to regional road maintenance, to have regional roads repaired and resurfaced so that Victorians can get where they need to go safely.
$50 million will improve the South Gippsland Highway, and $10 million will be invested to improve the Henty Highway in the Green Triangle.
South Western Victoria is the beneficiary of a massive road upgrade bonanza, with $37 million for narrow seal roads, and $65.85 million for a new South Western Victoria Road improvement program.
This builds on the Labor Government’s investment in last year’s Budget to deliver the West Gate Tunnel Project and Monash Freeway Upgrade.
Quote attributable to the Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan
“We’re getting on with of building bigger, better, safer roads – wherever you live.”
“We’ll deliver the missing link in our road network – the North East Link – while we invest in our regional road network to get people where they need to go safer and sooner, and create thousands of jobs.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020