Projects

Gippsland - Road Safety Program

Roads throughout the Gippsland region will be made safer as part of the Australian Government’s $3 billion Road Safety Program, being delivered in partnership with the Victorian Government.

Project status:

Underway

What we’re doing

The Gippsland region will be made safer thanks to the Road Safety Program designed to reduce road trauma and save lives.

The Road Safety Program supports the fast roll-out of lifesaving road safety treatments on rural and regional roads, and promotes greater protection for vulnerable road users, like cyclists and pedestrians.

In the Gippsland region, safety improvements include:

Safety upgrades to prevent head-on and run-off-road collisions

Upgraded roads:

Traralgon-Maffra Road between Heyfield and Maffra
Traralgon-Maffra Road (Main Road Heyfield)
Multiple arterial roads across Phillip Island where safer speeds were implemented
Traralgon-Maffra Road between Traralgon and Heyfield
Longford Loch Sport Road, Longford
Seaspray Road, Longford
Rosedale-Longford Road
Lang Lang-Poowong Road, Nyora
Great Alpine Road between North of Tongio Gap Road
Yarra Junction-Noojee Road
Meeniyan-Mirboo North Road (Loves Lane)
Healesville Koo Wee Rup Road, Woori Yallock
Mallacoota Road
Stratford-Maffra Road
Bengworden Road between Cobains and Bairnsdale

In 2015, head-on and run-off-road collisions were the most common type of crashes in Victoria, responsible for about 40 per cent of Victoria’s road deaths and serious injuries.

This program will help make Gippsland roads safer with flexible safety barriers, road surface treatments, improved line-marking, and various infrastructure that increases awareness of hazards.

Safety upgrades to prevent intersection crashes

Upgrades in the region include:

Tarwin Lower Road and Buffalo-Tarwin Lower Road, Tarwin Middle
Brandy Creek Road and Old Sale Road, Brandy Creek

Upgraded intersections:

Wy Yung Road (Bullumwaal Road) and Pound Swamp Hill Road, Bairnsdale.

Intersections pose a significant safety risk on our road network, with crashes at intersections causing an average of 30 per cent of deaths and 42 per cent of serious injuries on Victorian roads over the past five years, from January 2015 to December 2019.

Under the program, various high-risk intersections will become safer with treatments, including new compact roundabouts, turning lanes, splitter islands, road entrance widening, new lights and line-marking improvements.

Safety upgrades to prevent crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists

Upgrades in the region include:

Graham Street and Murray Street, Wonthaggi; underway

Upgraded pedestrian and cyclist areas:

Graham Street and Murray Street Wonthaggi
Electronic speed limit signs at 10 locations
South Gippsland Highway, Toora
Intersection of Contingent Street, Trafalgar

Pedestrians and cyclists are completely exposed to the full force of a crash, making them some of our most vulnerable road users. Research shows that if a pedestrian or cyclist is hit by a car travelling at 60km/h they are unlikely to survive. In fact, a pedestrian’s or cyclist’s risk of death or serious injury increases when vehicles are traveling at speeds of 30 km/h and upwards.

Upgrades under the Road Safety Program will create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists. New infrastructure includes electronic speed limit signs, improved pathway connections, rail trail upgrades and on-road cycling paths, and improved signals at traffic lights.

Why we're doing it

Infrastructure plays a vital role in preventing serious crashes. It also helps to reduce the severity of crashes when they’re unavoidable.

Mistakes happen, which as humans we can’t always avoid. What we can do is build more forgiving road infrastructure so that when a mistake does happen on the road, it doesn’t cost a life.

These upgrades are being delivered by Regional Roads Victoria in partnership with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) as we continue to work to deliver safer, connected journeys in Victoria, while supporting our economic recovery.