The Department of Transport has declined to put a timeframe on how long it will take to repair more than 480 roads that remain closed across Victoria.
More than 1060 roads were identified as being damaged, due to the flooding and extreme rainfall, which hit the state since mid-October.
Department of Transport regional transport chief Paul Northey said more than 500 people were on the ground, across the state, carrying out emergency road repairs where they were needed most.
They were also putting together plans for larger-scale, long-term repairs.
"Anyone who's seen some of the damage caused to our roads will understand that we are facing a fairly lengthy and complex recovery program across regional Victoria, and we ask that the community stay patient while we get to work on delivering these repairs," Mr Northey said.
"Our immediate focus has been on getting roads re-opened and keeping communities connected - as we move towards delivery of larger-scale works, we'll target areas where the road condition is a safety issue, along with key freight and travel routes to ensure that flood-affected communities have access to vital supplies and services."
More than 585 roads had been reopened and 55,000 potholes patched.
The road network has suffered significant damage with large potholes and sections of road destroyed.
A DoT spokesman said crews right across Victoria hade mobilised and have assessed more than 2,160 roads, repairing almost 54,800 potholes - however significant damage remained.
The spokesman said warmer, drier conditions were needed to deliver repairs that would last.
Rebuilding roads while it was still wet and cold drastically increased the risk of them failing.
The spokesman said there was no set timeframe for when each road would be reopened, but the department wanted to assure the community it was moving as quickly as it could.
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Prairie grain and oilseed producer Russell Hocking, Prairie, said while the floods were to blame for the latest damage, their impact came on the back of years of inadequate maintenance.
Shire roads had also been hard hit, with councils unable to carry out necessary repairs, he said.
"The councils need more money to buy graders and rollers, they are not doing enough work on the gravel roads," he said.
"I don't want to blame them for that, because they have endured years and years of terrible funding."
He said he was maintaining six kilometres of gravel roads around his property himself, at his own expense.
"We have to get back to basics," he said
"I compare it to fixing level crossings in Melbourne - this is not a case of my taking two minutes longer to get to work - at times I can't get to work.
"All the tonnes of grain we are carting are going to take a longer (to get to market) than they used to, because there are going to be roads that are closed for a long period of time."
He said that would add to the costs borne by producers.
"There is not one area where you can argue we don't need more money for roads - it's a safety thing, it's an efficiency thing, it's a productivity thing," Mr Hocking said.
Riordan Grain Services managing director Jim Riordan said the conditions were having an impact on his company's ability to get grain into trucks, with roads "falling apart" as a result of the wet weather.
"It will slow and have an impact on harvest, and people's ability to ship and collect grain," he said..
"The roads were already in a state of disrepair, but now they are very bad."
The Hume Highway was "falling apart - so you can imagine what the Hamilton Highway looks like," Mr Riordan said.
"It's becoming dangerous and considerably increasing wear and tear on vehicles," he said.
Pyrenees Shire council chief executive Jim Nolan welcomed an election commitment, by the opposition, to restore the Country Roads and Bridges Program to fund the restoration and renewal of deteriorating road and bridge infrastructure.
The coalition has promised annual grants of $1.5 million per year for four years to each of Victoria's 48 rural and regional shires and councils if it's elected, later this month.
Mr Nolan said the shire was responsible for servicing more than 2000 kilometres of local roads and over 150 bridges.
"While council already invests heavily in its road program, this funding would create local jobs and ensure greater attention was given to keep our roads in good shape," Mr Nolan said.
The council called on the Labor Party to match the commitment.
As the government is in caretaker mode, the Labor Party has been contacted for comment
Andrew Miller
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
I'm a general reporter with Stock & Land, with a special interest in irrigation issues. I completed my cadetship, with the Age, in 1980. Over my career, I've worked for ABC radio news (Mt Isa, Qld) and at provincial and suburban newspapers.
