The Nationals’ positive plan to rebuild Victoria’s roads has been reinforced by a major new RACV report, which has found more than a quarter of the state’s most dangerous roads are in western Victoria.
The RACV’s My Country Road 2026 survey identified the 52 most hazardous stretches of road in the state, with 14 of these on key western Victorian routes including the Western, Henty, Glenelg, Hamilton, Pyrenees, Sunraysia and Calder highways.
Several ranked among the worst in Victoria, including the Western Highway from Ararat to Stawell at fifth, the Ballarat to Trawalla section of the same highway at eighth, and the Horsham to Stawell section at eleventh. The Henty Highway from Portland to Hamilton ranked twelfth and Hamilton Highway from Mortlake to Hamilton fifteenth.
Member for Lowan and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Emma Kealy said the results reinforced why The Nationals had committed $5 billion over four years to repair and rebuild Victoria’s state roads.
“Western Victorians don’t need a report to tell us our roads are falling apart, but these results do show just how widespread the problem has become,” Ms Kealy said.
“These are the highways we use every day to get to work, take our kids to school and sport, attend medical appointments, move freight and travel to Melbourne.”
More than 6000 Victorians responded to the RACV survey, making more than 10,000 requests for road improvements. Road surfaces and potholes were identified as a concern by 71 per cent of respondents, with resurfacing overwhelmingly identified as the priority treatment.
The findings come just days after the Victorian Auditor-General revealed almost half of Victoria’s state roads were now rated poor or very poor.
“After 12 years of Labor, country Victorians are sick of dodging potholes and watching our roads deteriorate,” Ms Kealy said.
“When more than a quarter of the RACV’s statewide hazardous-road shortlist is concentrated on major routes serving western Victoria, Labor cannot pretend this is just a pothole here or there.
“Country Victorians aren’t asking for another warning sign or another temporary patch. They want their roads properly fixed.
“Road safety is not optional.”
In addition to the $5 billion to repair and rebuild state roads, the Nationals’ positive plan also includes $288 million through the Country Roads and Bridges Program to help rural and regional councils fix local roads and bridges.
“The Nationals will get back to properly maintaining and rebuilding our roads, because western Victorians deserve safer roads and our fair share of investment in the infrastructure we rely on every day,” Ms Kealy said.