Rain opens potholes across Victoria

Large sharp-edged potholes have opened up along Victorian roads and highways after heavy rain across the state since Thursday night.

Karen Ester's tyre destroyed at Rosedale

Karen Ester was driving on the Princes Highway between Rosedale and Sale when she hit a pothole filled with water and blew her tyre.

“I couldn't avoid it without trying to cause a crash into somebody else.”

At least six cars damaged in Gippsland

The pothole that damaged Karen Ester's tyre also damaged at least five other cars in Gippsland. Rebecca Billing's family hit two potholes in their brand new car near Golden Beach and had to get it towed.

Drivers say roads are not roadworthy

Karen Ester said potholes had been a problem on regional roads for too long. We are expected to have our cars roadworthy, but the roads aren't roadworthy, she said.

“We are expected to have our cars roadworthy, but the roads aren't roadworthy.”

Election issue as anger grows

Road maintenance has become an election issue in Victoria ahead of November's poll. A recent auditor-general's report found almost half of Victoria's state-managed roads were in very poor condition.

Coalition pledges five billion dollars

The Victorian Coalition has promised to invest five billion dollars to rebuild the state's roads if elected in November, establishing Better Roads Victoria as a standalone division within the Department of Transport and Planning.

Labor doubles pothole repair target

Premier Ben Carroll promised to double the number of potholes the government fixes this year from two hundred fifty thousand to five hundred thousand at a cost of three hundred fifty two million dollars.