Over $500m invested to fix some of Melbourne's most notorious roads

The Albanese Labor Government has announced the biggest projects that will be delivered as part of the jointly funded $1.2 billion Road Blitz in Victoria. 

The more than a billion-dollar program will upgrade roads, bust congestion and improve safety across the State’s growing suburbs. 

Five projects will be sharing the more than $500 million funding allocated to fix some of Melbourne’s most notorious roads. 

The projects include: 

• $300 million to construct a new interchange between the Calder Freeway and Calder Park Drive, Calder Park 

• $100 million to signalise the intersection of Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Clyde-Five Ways Road and Pattersons Road, Clyde North 

• $85 million towards the Wyndham Ring Road upgrade, Wyndham Vale 

• $16.5 million for Princes Highway intersection upgrades – Brunt Road and McMullen Road, Beaconsfield 

• $6 million for resurfacing along Princes Highway and Harmer Road, Hallam 

“We’re giving Victorians the infrastructure they deserve after being short-changed by the former Coalition government. 

“We’re fixing roads right across the state; we’ve doubled our road maintenance funding to local councils, reinstated road maintenance indexation that was scrapped under the former government, and are investing heavily in our regions and cities. 

“Whether it’s building a rail link to Melbourne Airport or duplicating the Princes Highway East between Traralgon and Sale, we’re creating safer, smoother journeys right across the state,” Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said. 

Calder Park Drive carried approximately 4,400 vehicles each day – including 1,700 heavy vehicles – and it is the main access route onto the Calder Freeway and into Melbourne for residents of Calder Park, Taylors Hill and surrounding suburbs. 

The $300 million investment will deliver a new interchange to help improve access on and off the Calder Freeway. This project will complement the removal of the nearby level crossing on the Sunbury Line, which is already under construction. 

Collectively, the works will improve road connectivity and safety while significantly easing congestion for Melbourne’s north west. 

“This major upgrade will mean our community gets safer, less congested access to the Calder Freeway, making it easier to get to work, school and home safely and on time,” Member for Hawke Sam Rae said. 

“This upgrade will have flow-on effects through our outer north-west and into the Macedon Ranges, getting our communities home sooner and safer,” Member for McEwan Rob Mitchell said. 

“The Calder Park Drive Upgrade will provide critical access to the Calder Freeway and tie in perfectly with the level crossing removing project which is on track for completion this year,” Labor Candidate for Gorton Alice Jordan-Baird said. 

The Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Clyde-Five Ways Road and Pattersons Road intersection in Clyde North has seen five crashes since 2019, and the $100 million investment will remove this roundabout by replacing it with traffic signals. 

Not only will this intersection upgrade make it safer for motorists and pedestrians, but it will also help improve travel times in the area. 

The $85 million contribution for the Wyndham Ring Road upgrade expands on current work already underway on the Ison Road Overpass with the construction of a new bridge over the Werribee River to connect Armstrong and Hobbs Road in Wyndham Vale to Sayers Road in Tarneit. 

This funding will also planning works to commence to investigate the design and cost of upgrades to the intersection of Ballan Road and Armstrong Road, Wyndham Vale as well as the Ballan Road bridge over the railway line – creating a direct road link from Tarneit to Wyndham Vale and Manor Lakes. 

This project will future-proof the road network in one of Australia’s fastest growing areas while reducing congestion through the city of Wyndham. It will also improve access to the Princes Highway and the employment precincts of Truganina and Laverton North. 

Lastly, a total of $22.5 million is being invested in projects along the Princes Highway. This includes upgrades to the Brunt Road intersection, road resurfacing works on the Princes Highway and Harmer Road, and planning for upgrades to the McMullen Road intersection. 

These essential safety works will deliver benefits to residents of Hallam, Beaconsfield and Officer through improved commutes and smoother journeys. 

The $1.2 billion Road Blitz is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, each contributing $1 billion and $200 million respectively. 

“As Melbourne’s population continues to grow, we are investing in critical projects that will create better journeys for motorists. 

“We are getting on delivering vital road upgrades across wider Melbourne that will provide safer and faster journeys for motorists. 

“After ten years of neglect from the Federal Liberal Government, it’s great to have a partner in Canberra that can find Victoria on a map and help deliver critical projects that people rely on every day,” VIC Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams said. 

Source: Labor – News; Big Rigs; Infrastructure Magazine; City of Melton