More than $50 million has been invested in a major road upgrade as part of a huge transport boost from both Victoria and the Commonwealth to help Gippsland communities impacted by the summer's bushfires and coronavirus.
The final two sections of the Princes Highway East duplication at Flynn and Kilmany will soon get underway, adding an extra 12km of lanes in each direction and providing much-needed local jobs alongside improved infrastructure.
Once the project is complete in 2024, Princes Highway will be fully duplicated over the entire 43 kilometres between Traralgon and Sale, providing improved safety and shorter journey times for the 15,000 motorists who use this stretch of road every day.
The final tranche of the project will build on the improvements already made in the first nine sections, delivering a range of safety upgrades including wider shoulders and a centre median with flexible safety barriers to reduce the risk and severity of run-off road and head-on crashes.
With pre-construction activities already complete, procurement for these sections of the joint Victorian and Commonwealth $253 million road project will be underway by the end of the year - improving freight efficiency and supporting the region's economic recovery.
The Victorian and Commonwealth Governments will also provide a boost to the Gippsland Line Upgrade - creating 400 jobs in the region and getting the project a step closer to delivering more frequent and reliable services for Gippsland passengers.
The project will reduce congestion between Pakenham and Traralgon, increasing service reliability in an area that is a major cause of delays for citybound trains. A contractor will soon be appointed, with construction expected to begin later this year and targeted for completion in late 2022.
Across the state, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments have committed more than $300 million in extra funding for the Regional Rail Revival, bringing the total investment to more than $2 billion to upgrade every passenger rail line in regional Victoria, create 1000 jobs and boost local economies across Victoria.
