Projects

Sale Alternative Truck Route

We’re working with Wellington Shire to plan intersection upgrades, improve roads and strengthen bridges along the proposed Sale alternative truck route to provide a safer and more efficient journey.

Project status:

Planned

Overview

The Princes Highway is the main transport corridor in Gippsland, supporting key regional industries. The major regional centre of Sale is located along the highway.

Efficient freight connections along this route are essential for transporting horticulture, dairy, timber, general freight, and building materials. Additionally, the highway carries large volumes of intra-regional freight and plays a vital role in providing tourism access to the Gippsland Lakes and southern New South Wales.

However, the Princes Highway through Sale experiences congestion, leading to delays and safety concerns in the town centre. As a result, many freight operators use a mix of arterial and local roads to between Sale- Heyfield Road and Myrtlebank- Fulham Road to bypass Sale.

We are working with Wellington Shire Council to upgrade these roads to improve freight efficiency and encourage heavy vehicles to use an alternative route around Sale.

Establishing a formal alternative truck route around Sale:

Reduces travel time
Improves efficiency for the freight network
Reduces the volume of heavy vehicle traffic through central Sale
Improves road safety in the town and along the alternative route
Supports local businesses and tourism by reducing congestion

What we’ve done so far

We have delivered key upgrades to improve safety and freight efficiency, ensuring the route can better support heavy vehicles.

These works include:

Bridge strengthening on two bridges along Myrtlebank-Fulham Road, enabling larger freight vehicles, including B-doubles, to bypass Sale.
Intersection upgrades, such as a new dual-lane roundabout at the Princes Highway and Sale-Heyfield Road, improving traffic flow and safety.

These upgrades form part of a long-term plan to improve freight movement and reduce heavy vehicle traffic in central Sale.

Next steps

We remain committed to the Sale Alternative Truck Route as a long-term planning strategy to enhance freight movement and support the regional road network in Wellington Shire. Since some roads along the route were originally designed for local traffic, we are planning further improvements to better accommodate heavy vehicles.

We are also considering future upgrades along the route, including potential improvements at the following intersections:

Maffra-Sale Road and Myrtlebank Road
Sale-Heyfield Road and Fulham-Myrtlebank Road
Myrtlebank Road and Princes Highway
Safety treatments such as shoulder widening and lane re-alignment along the route.

These plans will continue to inform project development in the area, with further work subject to funding and ongoing planning.

We will provide updates as the project progresses.