duplicate the rest of the highway to Bendigo. The Howard Government broadened the criteria under which roads qualify for Commonwealth road funding by introducing Roads of National Importance program in the 1996-97 financial year where such declarations were based on the recognition that roads outside the National Highway system also provide social benefits, and were funded jointly with the States and Territories usually on a 50:50 basis. As a major road link between Melbourne, Bendigo, and the state's northwest, supporting the region's primary manufacturing and tourism industries, the Calder Highway was declared a Road of National Importance between Melbourne and Bendigo in December 1996. The passing of the Road Management Act 2004 granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: in 2004, VicRoads re-declared the road as Calder Alternative Highway (Arterial #6200) between Ravenswood and Marong, and in 2011 as Calder Highway (Arterial #6530) between the border with New South Wales at Yelta and the interchange with Calder Alternate Highway and Ravenswood Street in Ravenswood, and as Calder Freeway (Freeway #1530) between Ravenswood and Tullamarine Freeway, Airport West. Timeline of construction 1950-4 – Calder Highway, straightening of the "Hattah deviation", a circuitous course through Hattah replaced by of straight alignment, south of Nowingi, started construction in 1950, was delayed a year in 1952 due to lack of funds, and eventually completed two years later in 1954. 1972 – Calder Freeway, initial section of freeway with 3 lanes in each direction, from the Tullamarine Freeway/Lancefield Road intersection to Calder Highway at Niddrie, opened by Minister for Local Government, the Hon. A J Hunt MLC, 21 April 1972, at a cost of $3 million. 1975 – Extended 2 km from The Avenue in Niddrie to Erebus Street in Keilor East, opened December 1974 at a cost of $2.5 million. 1982 – Extended 3.8 km from Erebus Street to Arundel Road, Keilor, with two lanes each direction plus emergency stopping lanes, opened by Minister for Transport, the Hon S M Crabb MP, 18 May 1982, at a cost of $15.5 million. 1984 – Keilor bypass, Bendigo-bound carriageway from Arundel Road to west of Oakbank Road, opened by Assistant Minister of Transport, the Hon Jack Simpson MP, 17 April 1984; the opening of this carriageway completed the bypass of Keilor. The cost of the entire bypass from Erebus Street to west of Oakbank Road was $30 million.