Melbourne's north, south east benefit from major road projects

Work is moving ahead on two major Melbourne road projects that will greatly improve road and rail separation as well as reduce congestion on busy sections of road used for freight traffic in the city's north and southeast.

The Victorian Government has awarded a $25.6m contract for the duplication of Somerton Road, converting the busy road into a four-lane divided road between Reservoir Drive and the Hume Highway.

In addition, intersections at Union Road/ Somerton Road and Austrak Drive/Somerton Road will be gaining signals, and an overpass will be built over the Melbourne-Sydney rail line.

Contractor Winslow Constructors Pty Ltd will start design work soon, with actual construction expected to start in mid 2006. It is anticipated that the project will be completed by late 2007.

Transport minister Peter Batchelor said the construction of the overpass as part of the duplication project was well timed and would eliminate delays that would have eventuated from increased commuter train traffic at the crossing, as well as freight traffic between Melbourne and Sydney.

Meanwhile, major work has started on the $85m Dandenong Southern Bypass – a crucial part of the $2.5bn EastLink project.

Batchelor said the bypass – which runs through the industrial centre of South Dandenong – would provide a huge boost for Greater Dandenong and the region's booming economy.

A 5km, four-lane duplicated road, will run from the South Gippsland Highway to Perry Road, including a major interchange with EastLink and an overpass of the Cranbourne rail line.

“Greater Dandenong is already an economic powerhouse in Melbourne's southeast region, and EastLink is driving even stronger growth as businesses rush to relocate next to EastLink,” Batchelor said.

“The amount of growth in the South Dandenong region is staggering, and EastLink and the Dandenong Bypass will play a crucial role in stimulating and supporting even greater development and job growth into the future.

“The bypass is also expected to take a lot of heavy vehicles off Cheltenham Road, which will complement the development of the Dandenong Transit City and build on the huge investment in Greater Dandenong announced by the premier last week.”

EastLink is on track to open in 2008.