The Government of Victoria in Australia is set to begin upgrade work along the Princes Freeway at Geelong.

The A$9.6m ($6.9m) upgrade will begin on 9 November 2020, with 14km of asphalt work on key sections between Waurn Ponds and Little River.

Part of the Victorian Government’s two-year A$425m ($308m) investment programme, 11 sections of Colac-bound lanes between Little River and Draytons Road will be upgraded.

In addition, five Melbourne-bound lanes located between the Hamilton Highway overpass and Beach Road off-ramp will be upgraded.

Victoria Minister for Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll said: “We’re rolling out a major programme of work on this important route over coming months to provide everyone travelling between Melbourne and Geelong and beyond with a smoother, safer and more reliable journey.

“Crews will work on these sites outside peak travel times to limit the disruption to traffic, particularly when Melburnians could soon be able to safely visit and enjoy all that the Surf Coast and south-west Victoria have to offer.”

On average, 47,000 vehicles use the Princes Freeway every day at Corio, making it a vital link between Geelong, Melbourne, the Surf Coast and south-west Victoria.

Over the past two maintenance seasons, the government completed 30km of upgrade work along the Princes Freeway.

This July, the Government of Victoria announced plans to streamline a A$2.2bn ($1.5bn) road construction programme.

The programme was part of the largest suburban road upgrade in the history of Victoria and is expected to boost the economy and create many jobs.

The government is set to support the Suburban Roads Upgrade, which is expected to play an important role in helping the economy.