Story perspectives

Premier Pledges $352M to Double Western Highway Repairs

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 9:58 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Peter “Tiki” Mason, 71, died after his motorcycle hit a pothole on the Western Highway near Trawalla.
Snap Send Solve recorded 310 Western Highway pothole reports in the past year, a 128 % rise since September 2025.
Premier Ben Carroll pledged an extra $352 million to double pothole repairs to 500,000 by January 2027.
Victoria’s auditor-general reported 48 % of roads in poor or very poor condition in 2024, up from 39 % in 2021.

History

Historical Context

Victoria’s recent pledge of $352 million to double road repairs by 2027 follows a decade-long pattern of large-scale transport investment, including the 2017 federal-state $1.7 billion regional rail boost and the $4 billion Regional Rail Revival program. Earlier projects like the Murray Basin Rail Project (started 2016) also combined state and Commonwealth funding, illustrating a sustained focus on upgrading critical infrastructure.

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Story summary

Peter “Tiki” Mason, 71, died after his motorcycle hit a pothole on the Western Highway near Trawalla.
Snap Send Solve recorded 310 Western Highway pothole reports in the past year, a 128 % rise since September 2025.
Premier Ben Carroll pledged an extra $352 million to double pothole repairs to 500,000 by January 2027.
Victoria’s auditor-general reported 48 % of roads in poor or very poor condition in 2024, up from 39 % in 2021.

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