Gippsland

Princes Highway Corridor Upgrades - Bridge strengthening, Drouin and Warragul

We’re improving freight access and efficiency by strengthening four bridges on the Princes Highway at Drouin and Warragul, as part of the Princes Highway Corridor Upgrades project.

Project status:

Planned

Update – September 2026

Works to strengthen four Princes Highway bridges over Buln Buln Rd (Drouin) and King Street (Warragul) remain on schedule to be completed later this year.

Buln Buln Road in Drouin will remain closed until late 2026.

Thank you for your patience as we complete these important works.

Traffic impacts

We understand roadworks can be disruptive and have made every effort to minimise the impact to road users.

There are no planned disruptions to traffic on the Princes Highway from these works, however some speed reductions may be required during specific bridge activities.

Buln Buln Road, Drouin

Buln Buln Road, Drouin, is closed at the Princes Highway bridges and is scheduled to reopen in late 2026.

A detour via Buln Buln Road, Morton Road, Lardners Track, and Princes Way is in place and sign posted (see attached map illustration).

The Two Towns Walking Trail under the Princes Highway bridges remains open for pedestrians and cyclists.

The road closure is necessary to ensure the bridge strengthening works can be done safely and efficiently.

Image of map showing detour during the Princes Highway bridge strengthening works in Drouin

Click to enlarge map

King Street, Warragul

King Street, Warragul, will remain open to traffic however, lane closures and a 40km/h speed limit will be required.

Please look out for changed traffic conditions and allow extra time when travelling through these areas.

Details

The works will strengthen key parts of the bridges to support safer, more efficient freight travel. This includes upgrades to the bridge foundations, supports and beams.

Overview

Victoria’s freight industry is growing every year, increasing the need for roads that help people and goods move easily and safely.

The growth of larger vehicles that can carry more freight is essential to increasing the capacity of Victoria’s road network without significantly increasing the number of heavy vehicles on our roads.

Stronger bridges on the Princes Highway deliver lasting benefits to producers, industries, and communities in Gippsland by ensuring these larger vehicles can cross.

Transport Victoria is delivering these bridge strengthening works, which are jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments, with both committing $22.37 million, as part of the Princes Highway Corridor Upgrades project.

Protecting our environment

We understand the complex balance of connecting communities whilst caring for our natural environment.

We’re committed to performing our works in a thoughtful and considered way to reduce impact on the environment.

We share the value the community places on the environment and have worked hard to minimise disturbance to native wildlife and vegetation.

Environmental assessments and relevant approvals for these works have been obtained and work will be carried out in accordance with a Construction Environmental Management Plan.