Federal Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell MP, has welcomed $1.4 million dollars in Federal Government funding to upgrade and increase safety at a notorious Shepparton intersection.

The Popular Avenue and Orrvale Road 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 intersection had been at the centre of a number of horrific accidents and 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,” Mr Birrell said.

Mr Birrell said it was however disappointing the Government continued to underspend 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.

“This is another example of the Labor Government reducing spending on our roads,” Mr Birrell said.

“There’s a number of roads across our region that require upgrades to increase safety for road users.

“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,” he said.

The Blackspot 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 remains under a cloud as part of the Labor Government’s 90-Day Infrastructure review.

“This program aims to reduce road trauma which continues to claim the lives of regional road users,” Mr Birrell said.

“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 he said.