Projects

Princes Highway East - Bridge strengthening at Bunyip River, Longwarry

We’re improving safety, access and efficiency by strengthening the Bunyip River Bridge in Longwarry on the westbound carriageway of the Princes Highway. These works are delivered as part of the Princes Highway East – Bridge Strengthening at Bunyip River, Longwarry project.

Project status:

Underway

The Australian Government has committed $5.88 million towards the project, with the Victorian Government committing $321,000.

Update – April 2025

Our strengthening works to upgrade the westbound (Melbourne bound) bridge of the Princes Highway crossing Bunyip River at Longwarry are progressing well.

Works are continuing on the foundations and have commenced on the bridge deck.

All bridge strengthening works are on track to be completed by mid-2025.

Lane closure and width restriction

A lane closure and lane width restriction of 3.6 metres is in place while the bridge strengthening works on the deck are being completed.

Traffic management and a 40km/h speed limit will be in place to help road users travel safely through the area.

Please look out for changed traffic conditions and allow extra time when travelling through the area.

We will provide advance notice on any traffic changes as the project progresses.

Thank you for your patience as we deliver this important project.

Overview

Victoria’s freight industry is growing every year, increasing the need for safer, more efficient road networks.

To meet this demand, significant investments are being made to enhance safety, boost freight capacity, and drive economic productivity. Strengthening bridges for High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) reduces costs, increase productivity and create more jobs.

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

The Princes Highway East is one of Victoria’s key freight corridors, connecting Melbourne to Gippsland and playing a vital role in supporting the region’s industries and economy.

A stronger Bunyip River Bridge will deliver lasting benefits to producers, industries, and communities in Gippsland by improving productivity and strengthening Victoria’s freight network.

The Bunyip River Bridge in Longwarry was constructed in 1958 and accommodates two lanes of westbound traffic on the Princes Highway East.

The westbound Bunyip River Bridge currently cannot support HPFVs. They can access the eastbound carriageway of the Bunyip River crossing as this bridge was built later than the westbound bridge.

Transport Victoria is delivering this bridge strengthening project as part of the Australian Government’s $316.3 million commitment to upgrades along the Princes Highway Corridor in Victoria.

These vital strengthening upgrades will provide more efficient freight transportation and a safer journey for thousands of road users.

The efficiencies will flow through to producers and improve the competitiveness of Victoria’s industries.

A stronger Bunyip River Bridge boosts the capacity of this important freight corridor that is essential to supporting local industries and our economy.

Details

As part of these works, we will be:

adding additional piling to the pillar structures
strengthening and widening existing pile caps
carbon and steel strengthening of concrete slab
construction of reinforced concrete bridge deck
asphalt resurfacing to the bridge deck, and
upgrading of on bridge railings and off bridge safety barrier.

Benefits

The benefits include:

improved transport network efficiency
more competitive freight industry
connecting more goods to markets
support for industries and the economy, and
improved safety for all road users.

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.

The Bunyip River rises below Mount Beenak in the Yarra Ranges and flows generally south by east then south before reaching its confluence with the Tarago River close to Bunyip River Bridge.

Some vegetation, including a native tree, needs to be removed for the bridge strengthening works to take place.

We undertook targeted surveys and investigations to identify the required native vegetation offsets and controls to be implemented to minimise flora and fauna impact.

We have obtained a Works on Waterways permit from Melbourne Water and will ensure our works do not affect the health of the waterway.

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