Regional Victorian road cash questioned by opposition

Spring Street has confirmed a “road maintenance blitz”. But questions are being raised as to whether it is reheated funding.

Questions are being raised over whether a nine-figure roads package from Spring Street is new money for crumbling regional roads or a reheated offering.

Victorian Roads Minister Melissa Horne this week confirmed a nine-month maintenance program totalling $675m.

Some of the state’s busiest roads, including the Hume Freeway, Surf Coast Highway, the Western Highway and the Goulburn Valley Highway, will receive attention.

Second-tier arterials including Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Rd, Terang-Mortlake Rd, Mornington-Flinders Rd, Horsham-Kalkee Rd and Tylden-Woodend Rd are also on the improvement list.

The announcement comes less than a fortnight after The Weekly Times revealed Regional Roads Victoria had been quietly disbanded after six years of operations.

Former Moyne Shire mayor Jim Doukas welcomed the Princes Highway cash confirmation but added that systemic change was needed to road maintenance administration.

“It’s always good news when there’s funding for roads but clearly the way the state government are operating with maintenance isn’t working,” the Warrnambool region farmer said. “There needs to be more local knowledge used instead of this head office approach.

“An example of that is trucks from Bairnsdale being used on roadwork near Peterborough (in southwest Victoria). They use these big contractors when working smarter with the local councils would be a better way.”

Storrs Transport managing director Stuart Storr said he could cite several locations where recent roadworks had crumbled within only a few years of repair.

“There’s a massive pothole near Foster along the South Gippsland Highway that everyone locally knows to avoid. But if you’re not local, it could cause a big smash,” he said.

“There’s examples of that right across the board. the Princes Highway between Traralgon and Sale is falling apart and it wasn’t that long ago when it was being repaired.”

Shadow roads minister Danny O’Brien said the announcement was a retread of budget cash previously announced in May.

“No amount of spin and media grandstanding will cover for the fact what Victorians know – our roads are in an appalling state,” the National Party MP said.

“In recent weeks, we’ve had Labor abolish Regional Roads Victoria and their plan to sell off the government owned road builder SprayLine Services and revelations that maintenance workers are having to patch 700 potholes a day, all of which just goes to show Labor has failed when it comes to the state of our roads.”

In her announcement, Ms Horne did not specify whether the package had been previously announced in the budget.

“We’re investing nearly a billion dollars to rebuild and repair the roads that Victorians depend on every single day — from the highways connecting our major centres to the local roads that keep our communities moving,” the Roads Minister said.

“Crews will be out delivering $2.6m of works every day for a year – with around 70 per cent of all funding going towards our regional roads.”

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