Road Projects UpdateDeer Park Bypass:
“The Deer Park Bypass in Melbourne’s west is due to open in April 2009, more than eight months ahead of schedule.
The $331 million freeway link will provide a 9.3km freeway link from Ring Road at Sunshine West to the Western Highway at Caroline Springs.
The Highway is the key interstate road link between Melbourne and Adelaide and at Deer Park carries over 70,000 vehicles per day.
Drivers will be able to avoid 20 intersections and six sets of traffic lights along the Western Highway, cutting travel times by up to 15 minutes.
The new route will save travel times and costs for the road freight industry and its customers and will help support jobs and growth in Melbourne’s west, to Ballarat and beyond.
During peak construction, 600 people have been employed on the project which is jointly funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments.”
Frankston Bypass:
Expressions of interest for the Peninsula Link. The toll-free road will link Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula.
The work will provide 4,000 direct jobs and significant economic stimulus for the state and national economy.
Expressions of interest opened on Tuesday 31 March so that work can start by the end of the year.
It is proposed the project is delivered as a Availability Public Private Partnership, to ensure the road remains toll-free while harnessing the benefits of private sector involvement, including faster delivery and the use of innovative construction techniques.
The 25-kilometre link will reduce congestion and improve safety.
Early works on the project will start later this year at the Lathams Road overpass of the project, with the main contractor expected to be on the ground by the end of the year.
Once completed in early 2013, the Peninsula Link will cut travel times between Carrum Downs and Mount Martha to about 17 minutes, a saving of up to 40 minutes.
The Environment Effects Statement (EES) process for the project is well advanced and will be completed before construction starts.
The EOI is available at www.tenders.vic.gov.au and will close on Tuesday 5 May 2009.
Ring road overhaul:
Early work has started to upgrade the Western and Metropolitan Ring Roads (M80) as part of a $2.25 billion project.
In December, the first sod was turned for construction of an extra lane southbound from the Deer Park Bypass interchange to Boundary Road, Sunshine West.
This early work will be completed to coincide with the opening of the Deer Park Bypass.
The rest of the project see widening and improvements for 38 kilometers from Laverton North to Greensborough.
It will make the road safer, ease congestion and make it quicker to travel on, especially during peak periods. Planning is underway and work is expected to start this year.
The Australian and Victorian Governments are jointly funding the M80 Ring Road Upgrade as part of the new Auslink Bilateral Agreement.
M1 Upgrade Drives On:
The first fully-completed section of the $1.39 billion upgrade of the Monash-CityLink-West Gate (M1) corridor has opened to traffic.
All eight lanes of the 3.5 kilometre inbound and outbound roads between Forster Road and Warrigal Road have been resurfaced with new line markings, giving motorists the first taste of how the new M1 will operate.
The section of the Monash Freeway was completed ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, new traffic conditions on the West Gate Freeway mean that drivers will have to choose a lane and stick to it.
A one-kilometre long concrete barrier will be installed on the outbound freeway between Bolte Bridge and Todd Road. The barriers will separate traffic and make driving the M1 easier and safer to travel on.
The overall M1 project is due to be completed in 2010.
