Victoria's roads are crumbling, but how much would it cost to fix them?

How much it could cost to repair Victoria's crumbling regional roads Thu 30 Jul 2026 at 7:36am In short: Regional council figures suggest both the Labor and Coalition roads funding announcements will be inadequate to fix and maintain Victorian roads across the state. Mayors from councils in the state's south-west say the state government is refusing to release data that would reveal the true condition and repair cost of state-managed roads in their regions. The Municipal Association of Victoria says it is crucial state governments work with councils to ensure funding reaches the areas of greatest need. As Victoria approaches a state election, both sides of politics have begun rolling out a flurry of pledges and promises to sway voters. They include Labor and the Coalition unveiling policies on an issue close to the heart of many Victorians: the state of the roads. Labor has allocated $1.04 billion for roads in its latest budget, while the Liberals and Nationals have promised they will spend about $1.25 billion each year, with a total spend of $5 billion over four years. Both of the figures are diluted by some funding going towards roadside maintenance like graffiti removal and roadside grass slashing. The Coalition's pledge will be further watered down by a review of road construction contracts and establishing a dedicated road maintenance agency called Better Roads Victoria. The ABC asked six south-west Victorian councils how much it would cost to fully fix the council-managed and state-managed roads in their regions. Figures provided by the councils show the one-off repair bill could be more than $500 million to get the region's roads up to scratch in the short term. It indicates the state's south-west, which accounts for only 11 per cent of Victoria's landmass, would gobble up at least half of what Labor has put on the table and more than 40 per cent of the Coalition's offering if the roads were all repaired in the next year. In Victoria, there are three levels of roads, local roads managed by councils, more prominent highways and connecting roads managed by the state government, and nationally significant routes maintained by the federal government. Some of the mayors spoken with say it is impossible to give a full repair bill for all the roads in their patch, as the Victorian government is refusing to tell them how badly damaged state-managed roads actually are. Continuous stream of potholes Colac Otway Shire Council is responsible for a road network that is more than 1,600 kilometres long. Chief executive Andrew Tenni said the council spent about $7.4 million of its 2025/26 budget on repairing its roads. He said the council needed between $17 million to $20 million more to fully fix its network. Mr Tenni said up to another $20 million would be required to fix state-managed roads. "Collectively, with an infinite pot of money available, a total amount of around $40 million would be required to bring roads throughout the shire up to standard," he said. Mr Tenni said another $500,000 to $1 million was needed to repair roads damaged by severe weather events. In Glenelg Shire, the council has allocated $5.6 million in its latest budget for roads. Mayor Karen Stephens said that funding would keep the 2,630 kilometres of local roads in "fairly good" condition but she was unable to provide a figure on how much it would cost to fully fix the shire's roads. But Cr Stephens, who was also on the Green Triangle Freight Action Committee, said it would cost at least $400 million to repair state-managed roads that were key freight routes in the area, based on the group's 2016 estimated repair bill. "A lot of those roads no longer just [need] maintenance ... it's now a rebuild of those roads," she said. "It's not just a pothole here and there; it's a continuous stream of potholes." Funding shortfalls Warrnambool City Council acting chief executive Luke Coughlan said the $14 million allocated in the council's budget was sufficient to ensure the council-managed roads were maintained in "consistently good condition". However, the funding would be inadequate in the future, with a council report estimating $16.9 million extra would be needed over the next 10 years for its roads, or about $1.69 million each year. In neighbouring Moyne Shire Council, the council faces a similar shortfall. Chief executive Mark Eversteyn said Moyne Shire was expecting to be short by about $1.7 million per year to fix potholes on its 2,960-kilometre road network. Mr Eversteyn said the shortfall would grow to more than $6 million per year once the $50 million bill to fix bridges in the shire over the next decade was counted. Corangamite Shire Council did not say how much funding it would need to fix roads in its region, but director of works and services Shaun Broadbent said it had dedicated $9.95 million for road maintenance in its latest budget, and additional investment would be needed for further upgrades. Crucial data missing Southern Grampians Shire Council budgeted $6.74 million for maintaining the 2,800 kilometres of roads within its boundaries. Mayor Dennis Heslin said the council would need between $80 million and $100 million as a one-off funding injection to bring its own local roads up to scratch, with yearly maintenance on top of that. When it came to the cost of repairing state roads, Cr Heslin said most councils were in the dark. "There's some fairly crucial data that the state government has but don't release that would go a long way to help understand the true condition of the [state] roads," Cr Heslin said. "We just don't have that to make an accurate assessment." He said his council had been advised that the data would not be released. "I understand why there'd be a reluctance to release that data, because it would probably show us the job ahead to fix those roads, that are probably beyond saving, is well beyond the financial means of any government,"Cr Heslin said. A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson did not answer the ABC's questions on why the data was not made publicly available, instead pointing to the state government's $1.04 billion road repair fund. Warrnambool City Council Mayor Ben Blain had similar concerns. "Every single one of us who drives our roads can see exactly how much they've deteriorated, and we know they need substantial investment," Cr Blain said. "A lot of roads have gone past resurfacing and need rebuilding. "Until we're provided with it, how can we actually do a decent costing?" Municipal Association of Victoria president Jennifer Anderson said it was crucial state governments worked with councils to ensure funding reached the areas of greatest need. "Local government has the on‑the‑ground knowledge: every pothole, every damaged surface, every area in need of maintenance, and which state‑managed road awaiting urgent upgrades," she said. [Image text:] RECOVER COTS ARO RICRCAN