More than 100 road safety projects are about to start rolling out across Victoria, in what the federal government is calling a $245 million road improvement blitz.
Starting later this month, the upgrades are scheduled for completion by mid-2021, and include a wide range of safety improvements such new safety barriers to prevent head-on and run-off-road crashes and as rumble strip line-marking to alert drivers if they veer from their lane.
In regional Victoria, projects will include safety improvements on the Midland Highway between Daylesford and Guildford, on Portarlington-Queenscliff Road at Portarlington and improving safety barriers on the Western Highway.
In Melbourne, works will include projects like upgrading traffic signals on Plenty Road in Bundoora and on Bridge Road near Yarra Boulevard in Richmond.
Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said the program would target some of the highest-risk areas in the state.
“This extensive package of projects ranges from smaller-scale improvements to major upgrades, with crews ready to hit the ground and get started immediately at a number of these sites,” Carroll said.
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said road safety was a key priority and this investment would provide a boost to the economy while saving lives and livelihoods.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility and collaboration between communities along with all levels of government will help us move towards achieving Vision Zero,” Buchholz said.
“Projects are already underway through the $500 million Targeted Road Safety COVID-19 stimulus package and this additional funding complements that work, resulting in an even greater roll-out of improved infrastructure and roads right across the nation.”
The $245 million investment includes $183 million of funding from the Australian Government and $62 million from the Victorian Government.
It builds on the joint $97.2 million investment made by the Australian and Victorian Governments earlier this year to boost road safety across the state.