More than 64km of Bendigo highways need major rebuilds, audit reveals
Government audit shows more than 64km of roads in Greater Bendigo need rebuilding within years, data the state long refused to release.
Victoria's Auditor General has published long-suppressed data showing which state-managed highways are failing fastest. Greater Bendigo alone has 64km of road that needs rebuilding, plus another 190km in Loddon Shire, 164km in Campaspe and 64km in Mount Alexander.
The damaged stretches include 7.9km of the Calder Highway, 8.7km of McIvor, 9.9km of Midland and 5km of Northern Highway. One Bendigo road has been patched dozens of times in the same weak spot.
Forty-five per cent of the Loddon Valley Highway from Bendigo to Campbells Forest rates poor or very poor. Regional roads have become the second most pressing issue for voters in Bendigo.
Why it mattersPoor road maintenance costs drivers in repairs, fuel and safety; the data shows the state is losing ground faster than it can patch.
AustraliaBendigo and regional Victoria drivers face dangerous, deteriorating highways while the state falls further behind on maintenance targets.
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