Improved road surfaces, new safety barriers, better signage and new line markings have been funded to the tune of $37.7 million as part of the Dairy Supply Chain Road Upgrade program in Victoria.
The project will affect six kilometres of roads along Cobden-Stonyford Rd, Bullahrre and Princes Highway West at Pirron Yallock.
The roads are in the heart of Australian’s largest dairy production area, and the work is designed to assist all road users, including the freight operators hauling dairy products.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, and Regional Development Catherine King says the government’s $18.9 million contribution to the project would benefit local businesses and the community.
“The Dairy Supply Chain Road network in Victoria’s southwest facilitates the daily transport of 24 per cent of the nation’s milk production, with 392,000 cows producing 2.05 billion litres of milk annually across over 1,000 farms,” King says.
“These works will also cater for future growth in passenger vehicle volumes and a predicted 20 per cent growth in freight vehicle volumes over the next 25 years, driven by the tourism, dairy and other commodity sectors in the southwest of Victoria.”
Victorian Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne says the investment will lead to safer and more reliable travel for people in southwest Victoria, and help to ensure the state’s world-class dairy products reached their markets safety and efficiently.