Labor has more than doubled the Federal roads budget to a record $27 billion over six years (2008-09 to 2013-14).

This much larger budget is funding:

• More than 120 major construction projects, with 24 already completed and work underway on a further 63;


• A greater level of routine maintenance ($2.3 billion over six years, up by $450 million);


• Extra support for councils as they go about their efforts to maintain their local roads, taking our total financial assistance to $1.75 billion over five years;


• Thousands of additional, smaller scale projects designed to fix notorious black spots following a doubling in the money available for this purpose ($500 million over six years);


• Installation of boom gates and other safety measures at some 300 locations nationwide as part of the first ever Federal program dedicated to preventing accidents around level crossings; and


• A major expansion in the number of roadside facilities available to truck drivers and other road users, including construction of 32 new and the refurbishment of 67 existing rest stops.

KEY INVESTMENTS IN THE N1 (Melbourne to Cairns):

Bruce Highway: Compared to our predecessors, we’re investing almost twice as much in half the time – $2.2 billion over six years vs. $1.2 billion over 12 years.

Pacific Highway: Compared to our predecessors, we’re investing more than twice as much in half the time – $3.1 billion over six years vs. $1.3 billion over 12 years.

Hume Highway: Accelerated work on the duplication of the remaining sections with funding of over $900 million.

By 2014, 85 per cent of this key route between Melbourne and Brisbane will be fully duplicated.