Premier promises $237m for Geelong bypass as Labor targets roads in western, regional seats

September 4, 2026 — 2:55pmLabor will spend $237 million building a bypass near Geelong if it wins the November election, as part of a road spending blitz to shore up support in at-risk seats.Premier Ben Carroll said on Friday that if re-elected, the government would start construction on the first stage of the Bellarine Link, a 3.5-kilometre road connecting the Surf Coast Highway and Barwon Heads Road south of Geelong.Ben Carroll unveiling the Ison Road project in Werribee on Thursday. Labor has pledged to upgrade a number of regional and outer-suburban roads if re-elected. Ruby AlexanderThe Bellarine Link has long been on Labor’s to-do list, and the government committed $4 million in the 2016-17 budget for planning work. Community consultation and a business case were completed in late 2021, but works have not progressed.Geelong’s population is forecast to almost double by 2050, and Carroll said the dual carriageway would immediately benefit the community.“It will get trucks off local roads, but get locals home sooner and quicker to be with their families,” he told reporters in Geelong’s outer fringe on Friday morning.Labor candidate for South Barwon Rebecca Thistleton said reducing congestion was a core community concern.“So, being able to get some of that big heavy traffic off Reserve Road and Boundary Road is going to be a real game changer for people,” she said. “And it just means that people can get home faster at the end of the day and be safe on our road.”The premier announcing an election promise to upgrade Findon Road in Epping on Wednesday, one of many road repair election pledges he’s made this week. Photograph by Chris HopkinsOn Thursday, Labor made three election pledges to upgrade roads in Melbourne’s west. It promised to spend a combined $448 million widening and improving roads in Wyndham Vale, Kings Park and Seabrook.On Wednesday, Carroll said Labor would spend $270 million to upgrade Findon Road in Epping, in Melbourne’s north, if re-elected. The government also committed $352 million to fix 250,000 extra potholes this year, under a plan that would involve prisoners repairing the roads and bring road maintenance back under government control.The roads funding blitz comes as Labor grows concerned over retaining seats in regional hubs, including Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat. It gained control over the areas in 1999 when Steve Bracks beat Jeff Kennett to win government off the back of strong swings from rural and regional seats, in an election in which Labor claimed all Ballarat and Bendigo seats and also Geelong.There has been an exodus of Labor experience in Bendigo. Former premier Jacinta Allan and speaker Maree Edwards are not recontesting their seats of Bendigo East and Bendigo West. Nationals candidate Andrew Lethlean is considered a strong chance of winning Allan’s seat from Labor, after he commanded a 10 per cent swing at the 2025 federal election against Lisa Chesters.Opposition transport infrastructure spokesman Evan Mulholland said Labor was pledging road upgrades in regional and outer-suburban seats it feared losing at the election, but that voters wouldn’t be fooled.“These are electorates that Ben Carroll, Jacinta Allan, and Daniel Andrews have neglected for years while pouring billions into the Suburban Rail Loop in the eastern suburbs,” he said. “Labor already chose who they preference, and it’s not the northern suburbs, it’s not the western suburbs, and it’s not the regions.”The Coalition has pledged $5 billion to repair and rebuild Victorian roads. On Friday, it announced it would spend $228 million to bring back the Country Roads and Bridges program, providing rural and regional local councils with $1.5 million a year over four years for road improvement.The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.Angus Delaney is a state political reporter at The Age. Email him at angus.delaney@theage.com.au or contact him securely on Signal at angusdelaney.31Connect via email.From our partners