News

Roads crisis

By Geoff Adams

Feb 13, 2026

Wire rope barriers on the Midland Hwy have been neglected for months. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

While billions have been spent on Melbourne-based transport upgrades, Victoria’s regional main roads are languishing in neglect.

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Farmers and transport companies have complained that maintenance is lapsing even on freeways and highways.

Freight companies report damage to trucks and motorists have experienced smashed wheel rims and damaged front ends.

There is evidence that where temporary patching has been applied, holes soon reappear.

Wire rope barriers on central medians on the Midland Hwy west of Mooroopna have fallen into disrepair, with some sections neglected for months.

Shepparton businessman Frank Gattuso runs 32 trucks and is tired of the damage being sustained to the front end of his vehicles.

Constant shocks to the wheels results in tyres and wheels being damaged.

“You can see the tyres scrubbing out rather than wearing out.”

“You just don’t see any roads getting repaired. All the improvement seems to be done around Melbourne.”

National transport

representative body, NatRoad, has taken up the issue with governments, but the problem persists.

NatRoad CEO Warren Clark said Victoria was one of the worst states for road maintenance.

“Certainly it’s one of the worst that we get complaints about. Northern Queensland is in trouble because of the weather events.

“But constantly Victoria is the area we constantly get complaints about.

“We have examples of tyres blowing, being torn off trucks.”

Regional Victoria continues to  be riddled with new potholes, with new statistics highlighting a staggering increase in reported potholes of up to 178 per cent in the west of the state, the VFF has reported.

“When you’ve got pothole reports in the west of Victoria surging by 178 per cent,  you’ve got an enormous and dangerous issue,” VFF President Brett Hosking said.

“Drivers are expected to maintain roadworthy cars. It’s time for cars to drive car-worthy roads to ensure drivers aren’t playing a daily game of roads roulette.”