Loddon-Mallee Region Road Network Multi-Criteria Analysis

Background

The Loddon Mallee region comprises the north-west part of Victoria, encompassing over 25% of the state’s land mass, and approximately 5% of the state’s population. The Loddon Mallee is a key freight generating region within Victoria, with the agricultural industry contributing significantly to the Victorian economy. Production in the region includes broad acre crops such as wheat and barley, and high-value time-sensitive containerised horticultural freight including fruit and vegetables. Freight volumes are expected to increase in the future due to new horticultural plantings and general improvements in broad acre crop yields. Growth of new commodities, such as the extraction, processing, transport and export of mineral sands deposits in the region, are also expected to have a major impact on future freight volumes. 

The region, like other parts of the state, relies heavily on road freight. High-quality, reliable freight services are essential to livability, the success of Victorian businesses and primary producers, and job creation. High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) are safer and more productive than conventional heavy vehicles and are playing a more important role in the Loddon Mallee region. Victorian government policy sets a vision to expand the HPFV network across Victoria, including key routes in the Loddon Mallee Region. 

 Our Role

NineSquared was engaged by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning to develop a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) framework to inform and develop a prioritised infrastructure investment program. The work is focused on improving conditions for the movement of High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) within and through Loddon Mallee region’s arterial road network, with a focus on the Calder and Murray Valley Highway corridors. The project encompassed: 

• Review of projects specifically related to improved HPFV access, including upgrades to bridges and improvements to intersections 

• Identification of data and information sources directly related to freight demand and the transport network in the Central Murray Region 

• Development and implementation of a scoring mechanism to prioritise projects in the region utilising objectives and measures directly related to the Central Murray Transport Strategy objectives and desired outcomes 

• Engagement with technical experts to identify and understand potential projects and their impact on the operations of HPVs in the region 

Our work helped the Department to better understand the relative importance of different infrastructure improvements and to help prioritise projects to increase HPFV access. Findings from our work provided a critical input into the Departments investment planning process. 

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