Ballarat road works: State government summer blitz focus on highways amid pothole anger

Its annual summer road maintenance blitz will include 40 sites around Ballarat - this will be separate to residential roadworks conducted by councils, amid anger and exasperation from ratepayers in relation to the state of local roads.

The state government, through Regional Roads Victoria, is in charge of major roads - freeways, highways, and major arterials in cities like Sturt Street in Ballarat.

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This new maintenance blitz - the state government boasts it's one of the largest on record, though it's noted maintenance costs are also rising - will allegedly improve about 450 kilometres of major roads "across western Victoria".

In Ballarat, that means rebuilding and resurfacing projects on the Ballarat-Maryborough Road at Miners Rest, as well as multiple sections of the Midland Highway between Ballarat and Geelong and parts of the Western Freeway near Gordon.

There'll also be about 20 kilometres of resurfacing work to look forward to through the summer, including on highways and the Ballan-Daylesford Road.

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The Bacchus Marsh-Werribee Road will also see improvements this summer.

The state government did not make clear exactly where the works will take place - many drivers have noted the deteriorating surface of the Western Freeway near Gordon, for example, but it's not known if the blitz will target this area.

Last month, the state opposition found the Western Highway, including around Ballarat, was rated one of the top 10 worst roads in Victoria, according to a survey of more than 2000 people.

A state government media release notes "(t)he roads set to be targeted under the maintenance blitz have been selected based upon expert inspections and community feedback, ensuring that works are delivered where local drivers need them most".

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