It seems the reasons for improving the stretch grow each week.

Today, South West Coast MP Roma Britnell released documents obtained under freedom of information that revealed two motorists had received a total of more than $18,000 compensation for vehicle damage on just one short stretch of the highway in the past six years.

A further 356 claims were made for vehicle damage sustained on other south-west roads in the same period. It's another sign that our road network is cracking up and needs investment.

We have campaigned alongside our community, councils, businesses for two decades for wide-sweeping improvements to the highway.

Wannon MP Dan Tehan and his federal government committed $60m for Princes Highway west works on a state road 22 months ago, conditional on some state funding.

As little as 20 per cent, $12m, is required. Imagine the bang the state could get for its bucks? But the state government, as yet, has not come to the party.

The federal government has also added our section of the highway to its national network meaning Canberra pays 50 per cent of maintenance for a state road yet the state government isn't willing to fund any upgrades.

The Princes Highway West Alliance, a group of councils and businesses, pushing the funding case, is about to launch a media campaign calling on the state government to get behind upgrades.

The Labor state government has won considerable kudos from south-west residents in recent years, committing $384m for South West Healthcare's Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment, $20m for the new Warrnambool library/learning hub, $7m for the $10.72m Reid Oval redevelopment and more than $100m for train line upgrades.

The missing link is the highway. It is clear politics, not evidence, is the road block. We can only hope the impasse is broken in May's state budget.