SEATS has made a submission into the review of Victoria’s Freight Plan. Updating the Plan will position the freight sector to meet Victoria’s future challenges and provide the state with a clear and productive roadmap for Victoria’s freight system.

The submission from SEATS  covered many facets of transport and transport infrastructure including air, rail, road, sea, heavy vehicle specific routes and the support required to support population growth and employment.

The specific heavy haulage routes included:

• Leongatha HV Alternate Route (Stage 2)
• Bridge strengthening required on highways and major roads and with HV combinations becoming larger (and heavier), the Victorian Government should undertake bridge strengthening as a rolling program over, say 10 years
• Emerging issues with renewables – North/South link addressing needs of Offshore Renewable Infrastructure requirements (roads & transmission)
• Gippsland linkages to freight assembly point(s) for Melbourne Port (road & rail) – suggested to be at Lynbrook
• Southern Gippsland – new extractive industries are being required
  • Needed to allow Melbourne’s urban & employment growth
  • Haulage routes using existing local roads require a maintenance offset from metro growth budgets

The Princes Highway through eastern Victoria is a nationally significant east-west freight route connecting Metropolitan Melbourne to New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. It is part of the Principal Freight Network (PFN) with freight volumes set to double by 2050.

The Princes Highway is the main transport ‘spine’ of Gippsland, supporting key regional industries and the major regional centre of Latrobe Valley as well as Warragul, Sale and Bairnsdale. Efficient freight connections along the corridor are essential for the movement of building materials, fresh and processed food, timber and the movement into Gippsland of manufactured consumer goods, stock feed, and capital equipment and spare parts for the coal and growing renewable energy industry.

The section of the existing M1 route between Pakenham Bypass and Longwarry, is not access controlled. This section of highway has experienced higher than average crash rates. With traffic volumes on the Princes Highway increasing due to population growth and intensification of primary industry, the remaining uncontrolled access points may pose an unacceptable safety risk. Princes Highway Nar Nar Goon to Longwarry 80km zones have been implemented due to treatment required at intersections creating a combined issue for the Gippsland and Southeast metro regions of the Dept of Transport. The problem is related to population growth and is impacting freight productivity. This impact is significant for freight operators managing times, number of trips and fatigue management.