The Government of Victoria in Australia is set to invest nearly A$2.2bn ($1.66bn) to upgrade 13 arterial roads in the northern and south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

The new investment, to be announced under the Victorian Budget 2018/19, is expected reduce traffic congestion, improve road and facilitate connectivity across the western, outer-northern and south-eastern suburbs.

With this new investment, the present government has invested more than A$5bn ($3.77bn) to address suburban congestion.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said: “We’d all rather spend more time with family and friends than stuck in traffic – that’s why we’re fixing the suburban roads people rely on every day.

“This will slash travel times, improve connections between our fastest-growing communities and give local roads back to local residents.”

“This is the single biggest investment in suburban roads in Victoria’s history, to fix local roads and get people home sooner.”

More than A$1bn ($750m) of the new investment will be utilised to widen and improve safety on the motorways across the northern suburbs such as Sunbury Road, Craigieburn Road, Epping Road and Childs Road.

The funding will also support upgrade works of the Bridge Inn Road in Doreen and multiple projects under the South Eastern Roads Upgrade programme.

At the Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, roads such as Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road in Pakenham, Lathams Road in Carrum Downs, Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road in Cranbourne and Pound Road West in Dandenong South will be upgraded.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan said: “This is the single biggest investment in suburban roads in Victoria’s history, to fix local roads and get people home sooner.

“With work already underway on the Western Roads Upgrade, now drivers across the city – from Werribee to Pakenham, from Doreen to Dingley – will have better roads to get home sooner.”

The upgrade works are scheduled to be completed within five years under the supervision of the Major Road Projects Authority, a new dedicated authority to deliver road projects.