Massive $2 billion roads deal to fix dangerous black spots, neglected regional highways

More than $2 billion will be poured into fixing notorious traffic black spots, pothole-riddled highways and ageing country bridges in a renewed road safety drive. It comes after Victorians endured a horror start to the year on the roads with 78 people killed to date.

Victorians have endured a horror start to the roads in 2018. Picture: Andrew Tauber

More than $2 billion will be poured into fixing notorious traffic black spots, pothole-riddled highways and ageing country bridges in a renewed road safety drive.

The Morrison Government will today boost funding for road safety programs by an additional $2.2 billion over the next four years in a bid to lower the national road toll.

Victorians have endured a horror start to the year on the roads: 78 people have been killed, compared with 53 at the same time last year.

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Of those 78 killed, 53 died on rural roads, prompting calls for urgent upgrades across the state.

Of the 213 road deaths across Victoria last year, more than half also occurred in rural areas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the road-funding boost was about getting parents, children and workers home safely.

“More than a thousand Australians died on our roads last year. That’s devastating,” the PM said.

Potholes on the Glenelg Highway between Coleraine and Casterton.

“These are mums who didn’t make it home from work, or children that didn’t make it to school.”

Local government will get a bigger pot of cash: an extra $1.1 billion for regional councils is the funding centrepiece. Victoria’s Roads to ­Recovery program will be boosted by $101 million from 2019-20 to 2023-24, taking funding to more than $500 million over that period.

The Princes, Hamilton and Glenelg highways have all been identified by the RACV and local councils as some of the most potholed in the state.

Upgrades have also been called for along the Goulburn Valley Highway from Numurkah to the NSW border, and along major roads connecting regional hubs such as Ballarat and Warragul.

In metropolitan Melbourne, Plenty Rd in Bundoora continues to be the worst black spot for crashes in the nation. And poor road maintenance troubles Doncaster, Chadstone and Springvale residents.

Plenty Rd in Bundoora is one of the worst crash spots in Australia.

Degraded wooden bridges, and some single-lane bridges, will also be upgraded as part of a $571.1 million boost to improve the safety and efficiency of heavy vehicle operations.

Mr Morrison said local councils were best placed to decide where money should be spent and would identify black spots and problem areas.

The Prime Minister, who is about to deliver a Budget surplus for the first time in a decade, said that a strong economy had allowed his government to further invest in “safer roads that save lives”.

RACV general manager of public policy Bryce Prosser said the state of Victoria’s roads was having a growing impact on the road toll.

Mr Prosser said: “Road funding is vitally needed, especially in regional areas, and it is encouraging to see the federal government focusing on road safety.

“The RACV has advocated for a long time for safer roads for all Victorians, especially those in regional areas, where road maintenance has often been neglected,” he said.

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Mr Prosser said any significant funding commitment would be welcome, but it had to be spent in the right areas.

Infrastructure Minister ­Michael McCormack said a new Office of Road Safety would also be established.

The Office of Road Safety is intended to work closely with states, territories, local governments and transport safety groups to identify road safety priorities and form a national strategy to address them.

Mr McCormack said that although last year had seen 81 fewer road deaths nationally than in 2017, “there is no room for complacency”.

“We must push ahead with practical measures and infrastructure funding to drive road deaths towards zero,” he said.

He said the government would pursue the 12 recommendations of the National Road Safety Strategy Inquiry announced last September.

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