The Victorian Government has promised a ‘radical change’ in roadwork with a $170 million package to address the state’s roads.

Premier Denis Napthine said that the funding will, for the first time, give VicRoads a dedicated, multi-year capital program for road maintenance.

“This initiative includes $90 million which will go towards renewing deteriorated roads by strengthening the pavement and a further $80 million for resurfacing works to make roads more resilient to wet weather,” Dr Napthine said.

“The $170 million package will be delivered across three years, and will be a big improvement on the previous system that allocated funds on an annual basis.

“The previous system sometimes resulted in a short-term focus and didn’t always provide the best solution for the long-term.

The new $170 million three-year package will allow VicRoads to develop a comprehensive program of works to be rolled out across the state.