Massive VIC road maintenance blitz get underway, creating 360 local jobs

The Victorian Government has kickstarted this year’s road maintenance blitz that will improve connections and make Victorian roads safer for all road users including drivers, passengers and freight transport. 

Crews will be carrying out on-road repairs as well as inspecting and maintaining bridges, traffic lights and signage between now and June 2024 as the winter season ends and conditions start drying up. Other works will include vegetation control on roadsides to minimise bushfire risk on the State’s road corridors. 

Most of the works will be delivered in regional Victoria where flooding and extreme rainfall have caused significant damage. 

“We’ve already made record investments in repairing and maintaining our state’s roads – our new, long-term road maintenance plan will deliver even better-targeted works and improved outcomes for Victorians. 

“We know we are facing a significant and complex repair program after some of the worst floods in our state’s history – that’s why our plan is backed by a long-term funding commitment and date-driven plan to fix our roads,” Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said. 

This road maintenance blitz is part of the first phase of a 10-year, $6.6 billion maintenance strategy. This year’s priority will be to patch and repair damage on the roads before future-proofing them to ensure they last. 

In addition, new road maintenance contracts were introduced to guarantee works are done better than ever – delivering better value for money, less disruption while crews carry out work, and higher-quality road maintenance, where it is needed most. 

The new contracts also mean more local jobs for hardworking regional Victorians, with over 360 great local jobs to be created and a major economic boost to regional communities. 

“Using more data and more technology than ever before our experts have put together a program of works that will repair the worst of last year’s flood damage and deliver smoother, more reliable journeys for hundreds of thousands of Victorians each year,” Department of Transport and Planning Chief of Regional Transport Michael Bailey said. 

This announcement builds on a massive maintenance blitz undertaken over the past 12 months that saw more than 1,800 kilometres of Victorian roads undergo repair and rebuilding works. This includes major road rebuilding, resurfacing, and resealing works on the Western, Hume, Calder, Sunraysia and Murray Valley highways. 

To date, more than 370,000 potholes have been patched along with 21,000 signs repaired or replaced, tens of thousands of kilometres of roadside grass and weeds mowed, slashed and sprayed, and over 290,000 tonnes of snow shifted from roads across Victoria’s Alpine region. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Road & Infrastructure Australia