The Victorian Safe Local Roads program is entering its next stage, with councils encouraged to apply for new grants that will deliver safer routes for trucks, freight operators, and communities across the state.
Local governments manage 87 per cent of Victoria’s roads, and freight vehicles rely heavily on these networks to move goods between farms, factories and ports.
With more than 200 projects already approved, the next round of nearly $25 million will target upgrades that reduce risks for heavy vehicles and create smoother, more efficient freight corridors.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne says the program is already making a difference.
“We’ve already funded more than 200 projects under our Safe Local Roads and Streets Program to reduce road trauma and deliver smoother journeys for Victorians,” Horne says.
She says the next phase will strengthen connections that matter to both communities and the freight industry.
“This second round of funding will support councils to deliver further life-saving safety upgrades in their local communities.”
Transport Accident Commission Acting Chief Executive Officer Jacqui Sampson says the initiative focuses on everyday networks where freight and local traffic meet.
“Local streets are highly used infrastructure where people travel to work, where children walk to school, and where communities come together,” Sampson says.
“By supporting local governments to deliver important local safety upgrades on these roads, we’re helping to make everyday journeys safer for Victorians.”
The Safe Local Roads program complements Victoria’s $976 million road maintenance blitz in 2025–26, with 70 per cent of that package allocated to regional networks.