Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell has welcomed $1.4 million in Federal Government funding to improve safety at a notorious Shepparton intersection.
The Orrvale Rd and Poplar Ave intersection will be upgraded as part of the government’s Black Spot Safety Program.
The money will help fund a range of safety measures, including replacing the intersection with a roundabout with splitter islands, line marking, retro-reflective pavement markers and lighting.
Mr Birrell said the upgrades aimed to reduce future risks to the community.
“Improving the safety of this intersection will be welcomed by the hundreds of locals who use this road daily, as well as trucks who use the intersection to transport goods to and from the food bowl of Australia,” he said.
Mr Birrell also commented on what he described as the government’s continued underspending on Victorian roads, after $5.5 million in funds allocated for the program went unspent.
“$25.6 million in grants were announced yet $31.1 million in funding was allocated for Victoria as part of the program for the 2023-24 year,” Mr Birrell said.
“We need more money spent on our roads, not less.
“Our region has been at the centre of a number of devastating road trauma incidents in recent months and each incident will impact local communities for decades.”
The Black Spot Program was established by the Coalition Government and more than 3000 projects were funded as part of the program between 2013 and 2022.
Mr Birrell said he was concerned about the future of the program, as it remained under a cloud as part of the Federal Government’s 90-day infrastructure review.
“Thousands of people in Nicholls spend countless hours in their car every week and this funding must continue to improve the safety of motorists,” Mr Birrell said.