The Victorian Government is helping communities in Eastern Victoria recover from bushfires and the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID) with new funding to support bushfire recovery on arterial roads.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said a $22.8 million state-wide investment from the Building Works package was helping regional towns recover and rebuild their local economies following a devastating summer of bushfires.

Works include repairing and replacing damaged roads, bridges and culverts, signs, barriers and guide posts, as well as landslide clean-up. Roads being targeted across East Gippsland under the program include Mallacoota Road, Bonang Road, the Monaro Highway and the Princes Highway.

Significant bushfire recovery works have already been undertaken with all of East Gippsland’s 400 kilometres of bushfire impacted arterial roads reopened, more than 700 road signs repaired or replaced and 12,600 guideposts replaced.

This funding forms part of the Victorian Government’s $328.4 million investment in critical transport maintenance, with fast-tracked upgrades set to create or support more than 600 jobs.

All works will be completed within the next six months and will comply with the local jobs first policy, ensuring communities hit hardest by the impacts of the coronavirus will benefit.

The Victorian government is investing more than $1.5 billion in economic stimulus across Victoria as part of its unprecedented economic response to the coronavirus crisis.