Image: Erich Stüssi.
The Victorian government is putting every effort into repairing the bitumen that makes up the state’s regional roads, due to their current unsafe and deteriorating status that’s posing a big risk to drivers.
To smooth over these problematic potholes that drivers continually have to swerve around, sometimes swiftly and dangerously, the Andrews government has allocated $135.6 million over the next year for the major repair works.
It’s a part of the Andrews government’s ambitious plan to fix the state’s dwindling infrastructure through modernisation, which also includes significant investment in public transport and the removal of railway crossings.
A big part of the government’s scheme to repair the roads is its plan to support local primary producers to get their products to the market or to the factory, as well as support local residents as they travel to work and school.
The repair works are scheduled to take place over the next summer, but interim measures such as asphalt patching works will take place over the winter period to ensure roads can continue to operate safely in the short term.
The funding includes $80 million for road resurfacing under the Road Surface Replacement Program; $10.4 million for Victoria’s eastern region that will reseal roads on more than 130 sites including the South Gippsland Highway, Bass Highway and the Great Alpine Road.
The government will also reseal roads across hundreds of additional sites, with funding of $11.6 million for 130 sites across northern Victoria, $11.4 million for 300 sites across north eastern Victoria, $12.6 million for 120 sites across western Victoria and $14.2 million for 160 sites across south western Victoria.
According to the Victorian government, Metropolitan Melbourne will receive $19.8 million in resealing projects.
The cap it off, the government will invest $55.6 million across Victoria to deliver “road rehabilitation” projects on key arterial routes including the South Gippsland Highway at Ruby, the Great Ocean Road, and Hamilton Highway at Penshurst.
