Premier asked to repair three key Wangaratta roads

Three major roads in the Rural City of Wangaratta are among 30 across the state which Premier Ben Carroll is being asked to prioritise for repairs under a road maintenance commitment recently announced by the state government. Regional Cities Victoria (RCV) has written to the Premier outlining 30 priority roads across Victoria’s 10 largest regional cities that should be first in line for repairs under the additional $352 million road maintenance program announced last month. Wangaratta's top priority roads for a maintenance blitz are Wangaratta–Whitfield Road, Greta Road and Murdoch Road. Rural city Mayor Irene Grant said all three roads are among those the community raises most often with council, and all three are vital connections for residents, businesses and visitors. "These roads are managed by the Department of Transport and Planning and require continued state government investment to improve safety, reliability and connectivity across our region," she said. "Community feedback about their condition continues to reinforce council’s call for increased Victorian government investment in the regional road network." In addition to urgent road maintenance, RCV is calling for a $2 billion Regional Roads Package over four years and a $1 billion Regional Growth Fund to invest in infrastructure that unlocks housing, creates jobs and supports growing regional communities. "The Rural City of Wangaratta designed the funding program, which was recently adopted by Regional Cities Victoria and includes the Country Roads and Bridges Fund," Mayor Grant said. The state Coalition last week committed to reinstate the Country Roads and Bridges Fund - providing $1.5m annually, for four years to Wangaratta - as part of a $288m package for all 48 regional and rural councils, if elected to government at the November state election. "While investment in local roads and bridges is welcome, sustained funding is also needed for state-managed roads," Mayor Grant said. "Regional communities need both local infrastructure funding and long-term investment in the key transport routes they rely on every day." RCV chair Cr Ben Blain said the additional $352 million committed by the state government was finally recognition of the scale of the problem, but it would not undo years of underinvestment in regional infrastructure. “The Regional Jobs and Infrastructure Fund was scrapped in 2023 and regional communities have been left without a dedicated fund to build the infrastructure that creates jobs, unlocks housing and supports growing communities," he said. “Fixing these 30 roads would be a good start, but Victoria needs to address the much bigger regional infrastructure deficit.”

Premier asked to repair three key Wangaratta roads

Wangaratta Chronicle, Wednesday, 9 September, 2026

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