Outer Metropolitan Ring Road must be priority, says VTA

FAILURE to build an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road (OMR) will constrain economic growth and undermine freight efficiency, the Victorian Transport Association says.

Ahead of next month’s state election, the VTA has identified the OMR as its leading long-term infrastructure priority.

Chief executive Peter Anderson spoke at Wyndham City Council's A Way Forward for the Outer Metropolitan Ring Road forum this week, where government, industry and community stakeholders discussed the economic, transport and freight benefits of the project.

Mr Anderson said Victoria must begin planning and delivering the infrastructure required to meet the demands of an expanding freight task.

"The Outer Metropolitan Ring Road is not simply another road project. It is the missing link in Melbourne's future freight network and the most significant long-term infrastructure investment Victoria can make to support economic growth, productivity and supply chain efficiency," he said.

"Melbourne continues to expand outward, with substantial growth occurring across the west, north and south-east. Without strategic investment in future freight capacity, increasing volumes of freight will continue to place pressure on existing urban road networks, impacting businesses, communities and motorists alike."

He said the VTA was advocating for the preservation and progression of the OMR corridor to improve connections between major freight generators, ports, airports, intermodal freight terminals and industrial precincts, while reducing pressure on key freight corridors.

The VTA says the project would deliver significant benefits by:

• Improving freight efficiency across metropolitan and regional Victoria.
• Reducing congestion on existing orbital and arterial road networks.
• Strengthening network resilience during incidents and disruptions.
• Supporting future industrial development and employment growth.
• Creating stronger links between Victoria's major freight hubs and growing communities.
• Future-proofing Melbourne's transport network for decades of population and economic growth.

Mr Anderson said the time had come to move beyond corridor protection and begin treating the project as a genuine state and national infrastructure priority.

"The Outer Metropolitan Ring Road has been part of Victoria's long-term transport planning for many years. Yet as Melbourne's population and freight volumes continue to grow, the need for this strategic corridor becomes more urgent," he said.

"If Victoria is serious about productivity, freight efficiency, housing growth and maintaining its position as Australia's freight and logistics capital, the OMR must be elevated to the top tier of infrastructure priorities."