Victorian Government delivers major funding boost for the Princes Highway to improve safety
November 9, 2010
A major funding boost from the Brumby Government is set to improve safety along a significant stretch of the Princes Highway East.
The $36 million upgrade will deliver a range of safety improvement project on the 430km stretch of road from Gippsland at the Bunyip River to the NSW border, Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas says.
“The Princes Highway East upgrade will see the trial and installation of new safety treatments to address the most prominent crash types, including run-off-road, side impact, head-on and rear end crashes.”
“Projects under this upgrade program will look at more than just traditional road safety treatments such as wire rope barriers and guard-fences, with VicRoads to investigate other measures to address driver behaviour and reduce fatigue.”
There have been 634 casualty crashes along the section between 2004 and 2009.
The funding is part of the Government’s $650 million investment over 10 years in road safety improvements through the Safer Road Infrastructure Program.
Princes Highway East is one of Victoria’s major transport routes, with the section between Bunyip and Sale also an important part of the Federal Government’s Austlink network, Pallas adds.
The Government has spent more than $8.3 billion to improve roads across the state, including over $3.2 billion for regional and rural Victorian roads.