Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has slammed the state and federal transport ministers for failing to address the ‘disgraceful and dangerous condition’ of the Cann Valley Highway.
Mr Chester drove the road again this week and said it was falling apart due to a chronic lack of funding and lives were being put at risk.
“The most common sign on the Cann Valley Highway is ‘traffic hazard ahead’ warning drivers about the incompetence and under-funding of this major road by the State Government,” Mr Chester said.
“Years ago, we used to be able to brag about how much better our side of the border was compared to NSW. Driving back from Canberra this week, I knew I had crossed the border when I saw these hazard signs everywhere and started dodging potholes.
“Even though the road is 100% the responsibility of the Victorian Government, when I was Federal Transport Minister I did a 50-50 deal with the state to get $10 million spent on the road.
“That funding ran out in 2021 and the road has been falling apart ever since. All we see now are road crews doing patch up jobs on potholes and no funding to actually improve the road.”
Mr Chester said the current Federal Transport Minister had abandoned the Roads of Strategic Importance program which provided funding for arterial roads and was more interested in her review of the infrastructure investment program.
“It’s extraordinary that after 15 months in the job, the Minister has hit the ground reviewing!” Mr Chester said.
“There’s not a single major infrastructure project underway in Gippsland today that wasn’t funded by the previous government.
“The lack of funding for the Cann Valley Highway is just one example of many roads falling into disrepair.
“There’s so much money being wasted in Melbourne to save a few minutes, when it could be spent in regional Victoria to actually save lives.”
