Regional roads crisis: Nine crashes in four days near Lakes Entrance

Emergency services are urging visitors to take extreme care on a dangerous stretch of road west of Lakes Entrance, as they await a major fix to the troubled section.

East Gippsland’s recent drenching has instigated a spate of accidents on a dangerous stretch of road west of Lakes Entrance that will be used by thousands of holiday-makers in coming weeks.

Lakes Entrance CFA and other emergency services attended at least nine accidents on the 4km stretch of the Princes Highway during the four-day burst of rain that saw more than 200mm fall.

Lakes Entrance CFA brigade captain Phil Loukes, right, has attended multiple fatalities near the seaside holiday hotspot. Supplied: Ian Ashcroft

CFA captain Phil Loukes said there were three spots in the short section where fatalities had taken place. He urged visitors to exercise extreme care in the hope of a longer-term fix.

“The rain is one of the factors, but so is the lack of ongoing maintenance,” he said.

“Some of the potholes are significant and some of the dips in the road are going to keep catching people out.

“We have fear and trepidation when we respond to a motor vehicle accident in the quiet time of the year that it’s a local involved.

“But on this particular stretch of road, over the years, I’d hate to think of the number of deaths that have occurred.”

Gippsland MP Darren Chester has doubled down on efforts to secure funding to fix the section of road since the recent spate of accidents.

He said its crash history wasn’t being accurately recorded, which helped the state government justify a lack of urgency.

“How many people have to be killed and injured, or suffer serious financial losses in preventable crashes before we get some action on this stretch of road?” he said.

“The road surface was already poor before the rain and it has developed some more serious potholes, while the design of sweeping bends seems to contribute to crashes during poor weather, with drivers losing control and striking roadside barriers or oncoming traffic.”

Gippsland South MP and shadow minister for Roads and Road Safety, Danny O'Brien. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, Victoria’s shadow minister for roads Danny O’Brien is calling for an urgent fix of another road in Gippsland leading to a seaside destination that locals have dubbed the “ski jump”.

The section of the Hyland Highway near Carrajung collapsed in April.

“The highway is understandably now reduced to one lane of traffic with traffic lights in place,” he said.

“Aside from being a headache for regular commuters, it is also very concerning at the real potential for the entire road to begin to slip away.”