Premier

Regional Roads: Improving Safety And Cutting Congestion

27 April 2016

The Andrews Labor Government is upgrading roads across regional Victoria and will make an unprecedented investment to help keep people safe on country roads.

The Victorian Budget 2016/17External Link is making roads safer across the state with a $426.6 million investment, with a particular focus on rural and regional roads. 2,500 kilometres of road is set to receive world-class safety improvements.

The Labor Government will also cut congestion with a $260.4 million package of road upgrades that will reduce travel times and improve efficiency.

Deteriorating and unsafe roads across the state will receive a $130 million boost for repair and resurfacing, and $51.6 million will build new overtaking lanes along key regional highways including the Princes Highway East at Orbost and the Midland Highway at Meredith and Mansfield.

Planning will also start on a number of key projects, with $52 million for a package of works that includes the duplication of Barwon Heads Road and transport improvements on Phillip Island.

The Budget also includes $106.7 million to build the six-kilometre Drysdale Bypass, to assist with the rapid population and tourism growth in the state’s south west and reduce heavy vehicle traffic travelling through the centre of the town.

The duplication of Napier Street in Bendigo, between Weeroona Avenue and Hall Street, will move into the design and construction phase, with $30.48 million to improve traffic flow, increase capacity and provide a safer road network along the corridor.

Congestion will be reduced at Strathfieldsaye with $4.5 million for intersection improvements and $200,000 for an intersection study in Romsey.

$4 million will see planning work start to extend the Geelong Ring Road to the Bellarine Peninsula which will reduce congestion in the Geelong CBD, as well as providing a direct link for traffic on the peninsula to the Princes Freeway.

The Budget also invests $625,000 for planning and development for the replacement of the Yarrawonga and Mulwala Bridges, and $1.1 million for planning for the replacement of the Tooleybuc Bridge over the Murray River in Piangil.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan

“We’re investing in regional roads and making them safer. We’ll do everything we can to spare families the pain of losing a loved one.”

“The number of fatalities on Victoria’s roads this year is deeply troubling things have to change.”

“We are upgrading and maintaining freight routes because we know how vital they are to getting goods to market.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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