Spring Street unveils $2.2 billion suburban and growth area roads upgrade package
The pre-budget announcements of the initiatives to be contained within the budget continued over the weekend with the State Government announcing a $2.2 billion suburban & growth area arterial road upgrade package.
Thankfully, at least some of the roads which were mentioned in the pre-budget announcement will include active transport infrastructure, such as shared bike & pedestrian paths, to be built alongside most of the roads which will be duplicated from two to four lanes.
This announcement adds to the western arterial roads package which was first unveiled in November 2016 with both northern suburbs seeing 6 roads upgraded and the south eastern suburbs to see 7 arterial upgrades.
The upgrades are summarised as follows, click the hyperlinks to see a map of the area.
Northern:
- Duplicate Craigieburn Road between Mickleham Road and Hume Freeway in Craigieburn. A new shared cycling and pedestrian path will be built on both sides of the road.
- Widening Sunbury Road from two lanes to four between Powlett Street and Bulla-Diggers Rest Road in Sunbury. A new shared cycling and pedestrian path will be built.
- Duplicating Bridge Inn Road between Plenty Road and Yan Yean Road and Yan Yean Road between Kurrak Road and Bridge Inn Road in Doreen. New walking and cycling paths will be constructed alongside both roads.
- Duplicating Epping Road from two to four lanes between Craigieburn Road East and Memorial Avenue. A new shared cycling and pedestrian path will be built.
- Upgrading three intersections at Main Road, Porter Street and Foote Street on Fitzsimons Lane in Eltham.
- Duplicating Childs Road in Mill Park from Beaumont Crescent to Prince of Wales Avenue. A new walking and cycling path will be built along Childs Road.
South Eastern:
- Duplicating Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road in Pakenham from two to four lanes between Princes Freeway and Manks Road. A new walking and cycle path will be constructed.
- Duplicating Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road in Cranbourne from two to four lanes between Thompsons Road and South Gippsland Highway.
- Duplicating Lathams Road in Seaford from two to four lanes between Oliphant Way and Dandenong-Frankston Road, including a new bridge over Peninsula Link.
- Widening Pound Road West/Remington Drive in Dandenong South from two to four lanes between Abbotts Road and South Gippsland Highway, with a new bridge over the Cranbourne rail line.
- Duplicating Hallam North Road from two to four lanes between Heatherton Road and James Cook Drive. A new shared path will be constructed.
- Intersection and road safety upgrades on Golf Links Road from Peninsula Link to Baxter-Tooradin Road and Grant Road from Baxter-Tooradin Road to Frankston-Flinders Road in Langwarrin South.
- Upgrading two intersections with traffic lights on Thompsons Road in Cranbourne.
The longest duplications appear to be Sunbury Road, stretching from Sunbury itself to Bulla and Koo Wee Rup Road from the Princes Freeway to Manks Road.
Koo Wee Rup Road is a faster route for vehicles between the Princes/Monash Freeway to the South Gippsland Highway and has previously been mooted as a freeway. Perhaps this upgrade is a prelude to that.
Pound Road West and Lathams Road are two upgrades contained wholly within Industrial/Employment zones that will use overpasses over the Cranbourne railway line and Peninsula Link respectively. While the duplication of Childs Road will not reach as far as the South Morang railway line, a level crossing is still present in this area.
