The Andrews Labor Government’s new, dedicated country roads body, Regional Roads Victoria, has opened its doors and is getting started on the biggest road maintenance blitz Victoria has ever seen.
Across north-eastern Victoria, Regional Roads Victoria will oversee more than $51 million of improvement works on roads right across the region’s 4000-kilometre arterial network.
From Eildon to the New South Wales border, crews will be out in force completing 193 kilometres of upgrade works on the roads that local communities and industries rely on every day, as part of the record $333 million state-wide maintenance package.
Work is set to begin this month on rebuilding a 1.8 kilometre section of the Hume Freeway at Winton to boost safety and enhance productivity on this key freight route between Sydney and Melbourne.
A further 73 kilometres of the dual lane freeway will be resurfaced and finished with new line markings at various locations between Kalkallo and Wodonga.
A 1.6 kilometre section of another key heavy vehicle connection – Benalla-Yarrawonga Road – will be rebuilt and the intersection at the Midland Highway strengthened to cater for growing industry in Benalla.
Other roads to be targeted this maintenance season include pavement upgrade works on the Murray Valley Highway at Ebden and rehabilitation works on the Midland Highway and the Glenrowan-Myrtleford Road near Moyhu.
A 1.2 kilometre section of Kilmore-Lancefield Road near Lancemore Hill will also be fixed thanks to a $1.9 million upgrade to improve road surface on the busy connection to jobs and schools.
Victorians will now be able to find out what works are underway or planned across the state via the new website – regionalroads.vic.gov.au – or through the new, dedicated, Ballarat-based call centre 133 RRV (778).
For the first time, the community can view and keep track of the annual program of maintenance works and projects thanks to a new interactive state-wide map.
As stated by Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan
"Since coming to office we’ve doubled spending on road maintenance and from today regional Victoria will have a dedicated agency solely focused on fixing country roads."
As stated by Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
"We’ve heard what people in the north east have had to say about the regional road network – that’s why we’re making this record investment to fix the roads our community relies on every day."
"The massive program of works announced today is just the beginning – we’ll have more to say about road rebuilds, resurfacing and further upgrades as the maintenance season ramps up."
