VIC Govt invests $976m to fix and upgrade roads across the state

As part of its State Budget 2025/26, the Victorian Government is investing $976 million in the Better Roads Blitz. 

This initiative will fix potholes and upgrade road surfaces across Victoria to ultimately get regional families and workers home safer and sooner. 

The State Government delivered its biggest single-year investment ever in road maintenance last year, but this year’s Budget goes beyond with an even bigger single-year investment in road maintenance. 

The funding will deliver: 

• The rebuild, repair and resurfacing of arterial roads right across the state, including pothole repair 

• Maintenance of vital transport infrastructure such as bridges and traffic lights so they are in good condition 

• Emergency road works in response to callouts from the community 

• The mowing, slashing and spraying of grass and weeds along roadsides 

• The repair or replacement of thousands of signs 

This year’s Budget also includes $81 million to make roads in regional communities safer. Projects include: 

• Rehabilitation of the San Remo Bridge connecting Phillip Island to the mainland 

• Strengthening the Mt Emu Creek Bridge on the Princes Highway West in Terang to accommodate high productivity freight vehicles 

• Safety upgrades on the Princes Highway East in Lakes Entrance 

“We’re focused on what matters most – getting regional families home safer and sooner with our Better Roads Blitz,” Premier Jacinta Allan said. 

“We’re rebuilding, repairing and resurfacing roads right across Macedon – to give locals and visitors safer, smoother and more reliable journeys,” Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas said. 

More than 70 per cent of funding from last year’s record investment was directed to regional Victoria, ensuring that important maintenance works are delivered to every corner of the state. 

Thanks to this investment, more than 183,669 on-road jobs were completed. This included major rehabilitation, resurfacing, and pothole repair projects. In addition, some 11,000 signs were repaired as well as 13,000 signs replaced. 

Last year’s funding also got key works underway and completed, including: 

• In Woodend, crews are almost finished rebuilding a 2.2-kilometre section of Tylden-Woodend Road between Caddys Lane and Maxwell Street 

• Rehabilitation works on Mortlake-Ararat Road and the Glenelg Highway are underway and scheduled for completion at the end of May 

• Rehabilitation works on Princes Highway West at Conns Lane are progressing, with completion expected in early June 

• Pavement rehabilitation is complete on the Hume Freeway at Beveridge, Monaro Highway (East Gippsland) and Koo Wee Rup – Longwarry Road (Longwarry), providing drivers with stronger, smoother roads 

• Pavement rehabilitation works on South Gippsland Highway at Stony Creek are progressing well, with completion scheduled for July, weather permitting 

• The rehabilitation project on the Midland Highway at Blampied is complete 

• Rehabilitation works on Birchip-Warracknabeal Road are complete 

• Patching works on Bendigo-Pyramid Road and McIvor Highway are complete 

“Victoria’s road network connects Victorians to family, school and jobs, and moves millions of tonnes of goods and supplies around the state. 

“We delivered record roads funding last year and this Budget will deliver even more – making our roads more resilient,” Minister for Road and Road Safety Melissa Horne said. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victorian Budget 25/26; Big Rigs