Bendigo Police and Department of Transport warn of damage caused by floods to roads

According to the Department of Transport, Echuca, Kerang, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Orrvale and Murchison are the areas of concern - however all areas of the state have been impacted by the weather.

There are 470 roads closed across the region and state.

Bendigo Police Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks said his advice to everybody was to just be patient.

"The repairs to networks are going to take a long time because there's not just one or two roads impacted," he said.

"Various places have been quite badly damaged."

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The department said the community should familiarise themselves with road closures in their area before travelling to determine if it was possible and practical to reach their destination.

The road network has suffered significant damage with large potholes and sections of roads destroyed.

Crews across Victoria have mobilised and have assessed more than 2200 roads and have repaired almost 57,400 potholes - but significant damage remains.

The Department of Transport continues to prioritise repairs where damage is a safety issue.

Their team of structural engineers have inspected more than 420 bridges and structures across the network, while department representatives are continuing twice daily to inspect the network and deliver urgent emergency repairs.

"[Crews] are working their heart out at the moment to try and get the roads back up to a good standard," Senior Sergeant Brooks said.

"It's going to be a long drawn out process to bring those roads back to that high standard that we had prior to the flooding."

Motorists are urged to drive with extreme caution, with the expectation the road surface will be damaged.

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Drivers are encouraged to leave extra distance between vehicles, which will help them get a better view of the road ahead.

The department reminds to not drive through road closures and into floodwater, and that not all road closures are manned, making it critical to observe and obey the signs in place.

Barriers blocking access to roads should not be moved as road closures are in place for safety reasons.

"If these roadwork signs are up, they're there for a reason," Senior Sergeant Brooks said.

"You may not see the road workers walking around all over the place, but there might be issues on the road that you need to be aware of. So they're asking people just to pay attention to the roadworks.

"And respect the fact that these road workers are out there trying to do a job."

Senior Sergeant Brooks said obeying the road rules and roadwork signage, while it might slow you down, it did protect road workers.

"They want to get home safely to their family," he said.

"Respect the road rules and respect the signage."

Major road closures include:

Recent road re-openings include:

V/Line service impacts

While there are limited impacts to train services on the Ballarat/Ararat/Maryborough, Geelong/Warrnambool, Seymour, Albury, Bendigo and Gippsland lines, passengers are reminded to check the PTV or V/Line websites before travelling.

Senior Sergeant Brooks said police have dual functions now - their usual duties, as well as flood response.

"We had a lot of commitment of all our resources and a lot of extra help from a lot of other areas to help our communities with a flood response," he said.

"We're all dedicated to try and make sure it's as safe as we can make it for people to travel on the road."

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