Unsatisfactory repairs to the Murray Valley Highway on both approaches to Rutherglen have made the busy stretch of highway dangerous for several years.
However, major repairs to the highway may be a long way off if more funding is not allocated to the maintenance and repair of local roads.
An extensive analysis of the 2024/25 Victorian budget revealed that a 96 per cent reduction had occurred in the levels of maintenance undertaken on regional roads.
The latest figures from the 2024/25 Victorian budget show that road resurfacing spending has dropped from $201.4 million in 2022-23 to $37.6 million in 2023-24.
Figures also show that for the 12 months to the end of June 2024 1,310 people died on Australian roads, representing a 11.7 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period.
Politicians representing the region have had their say on the disgraceful condition of our roads reiterating all levels of government need to rectify the issue.
Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said the drop in funding would hurt people already under financial stress because of the state of the roads.
"This government doesn't give a stuff about our roads," Mr Tilley said.
"The minister gets up and bangs on about millions of dollars spent here, millions of dollars spent there but go out and drive them.
"Talk to people, truckies, mechanics, tyre outlets - people are struggling with the cost of living but are forced to pay for a new tyre, damaged suspension, broken rims.
"Labor's very own road survey says 91 per cent of our roads are either 'poor or very poor', he said.
Mr Tilley has also criticised the government's cap on compensation payments for people whose vehicles were damaged by potholes saying if they dropped the cap on damage to cars caused by our roads they would understand what it is actually costing Victorians.
Nationally, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Senator Bridget McKenzie concluded that a continuously unacceptable road toll suggests more could be done to improve road safety across north east Victoria.
Senator McKenzie said Victoria experienced a nine percent increase in road deaths over the 12-months to June 30.
“As the road toll has been rising steadily for the past two years, the Federal Government has cut funding from road infrastructure programs and failed to deliver on its promise of sharing road trauma data outcomes,” Senator McKenzie said.
“The failure to facilitate the timely, consistent, and open reporting of national road safety data since coming into government is preventing Australia from measuring its road safety problem, developing evidence-based responses, or evaluating effectiveness.
“At the same time, the road safety task is being made more difficult by the decision to cancel, cut, and delay more than $27.9 billion in infrastructure funding over the past two years.”
Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy said the state of Victoria’s roads continues to be subpar with 91% of roads rated as poor or very poor in a survey the government conducted only last year.
“This follows the revelation that the road maintenance budget remains 16 per cent below 2020 levels, and a cut of $88 million from road safety funding,” Mr McCurdy said.
“The minister must have misread the data, as the actions taken this year are the exact opposite of what should have been taken.”
Mr McCurdy said 400 kilometres of roads are speed-reduced around the state, and road resurfacing will drop by 75 per cent next year.
“Over 2,000 Victorians lodged claims for vehicle damages due to shoddy roads,” he added.
“This is a very clear and calculated snub of regional Victorians like those living in the Ovens Valley.
“We have roads that have been knocked out for over six months, and some that are still damaged from the 2022 floods.
“Yet the current Victorian Government still continues to fund their expensive Cheltenham to Box Hill rail line to the tune of $35 billion.”
Road users across the north east region can help shine a light on the appalling condition of local roads by taking part in a national road survey launched by the Coalition last month.
“By nominating a road, intersection or bridge in need of repair, north east Victorians can send the Albanese Labor Government a very clear message; Fix Our Roads,” Senator McKenzie said.
Find the national road survey at https://form.typeform.com/to/H6gD9CUi. Survey closes 5pm, August 30, 2024.
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