Mordialloc Freeway: All you need to know about southeast Melbourne’s new 9km, $375m road
The first kilometre of Mordialloc Freeway’s new 9km road is now being dug, with 26,000 tonnes of asphalt moved daily. Here’s everything you need to know about the new thoroughfare.
Inner South
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Every day more than 900 trucks haul 26,000 tonnes of asphalt and crushed rock along roads between Dingley and Mordialloc as new freeway work ramps up.
Huge swathes of green field on Governor Rd on the outskirts of Braeside have been ripped out and construction of that section of the controversial Mordialloc Freeway has started.
Major work is underway around the intersection of Lower Dandenong Rd and Howard Rd at Dingley as earth is dug up and trees chopped down.
Commute times at peak hours along these routes has dramatically slowed but
Major Road Projects Victoria program director Brendan Pauwels said they would do “everything they can” to limit traffic impact and encouraged members of the public to report any concerns regarding truck driver behaviour.
About 3.2 million tonnes of asphalt and rock will be transported to build the nine kilometre, $375 million new road, due to open in 2021.
“Eight entry points and strict haulage routes have been developed to minimise the distance between the source of the fill and their destination,” Mr Pauwels said.
“If the community has any concerns about truck driver behaviour we encourage them to take note of the vehicle’s number plate and contact us.”
He also encouraged locals to report any concerns about noise, dust and vibration.
When the route is complete six bridges will tower over Governor Rd, Lower Dandenong Rd, Centre Dandenong Rd and Old Dandenong Rd, with an overpass at Springvale Rd and road bridge at Mordialloc creek wetlands Waterways.
There will be one set of traffic lights connecting the freeway to Dingley Bypass at the road’s only intersection.
Proponents say the freeway will remove 13000 trucks from clogged up local roads between the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and the Dingley Bypass.
But the road hasn’t gone without its criticisms, with Residents Against Mordialloc Freeway (RAMF) campaigning against construction since day one.
Treasurer Scott Fothergill, who recently hosted a lunch among doomed gum trees set to be chopped down for the road, says it will destroy vital wetlands at Braeside and Waterways.
“This is a travesty and we are devastated a freeway is going to run through the beautiful trees and wetlands of Braeside and beyond,” he told the Leader.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful, tranquil spot to visit with family and we’re going to be losing that.”
But many locals couldn’t be keener for the newest arterial link, including Chelsea Heights father-of-two Justin Scott whose family is fed up with travelling on “chokkers” roads when heading up north.
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“My wife works in Clayton and both Springvale and Westall roads are packed in the morning,” he told the Leader.
“The land has been a road reservation forever … travelling up north and south, it’s always full.”
“The freeway has been (in) plans for decades … anyone objecting has been ignorant of the infrastructure plans,” one man said on social media.
The huge trucks will be on the mover every day between 7am and 6pm and between 7am and 3.30pm on Saturdays, with Mr Pauwels confirming the community would be advised if those hours need to change.
The new thoroughfare is expected to be the route of choice for 75000 drivers by 2031, with cyclists, joggers and walkers also catered for along a new eight kilometre shared path.
Major Road Projects Victoria has promised one million new plants and 5700 trees, and says construction has created 400 new jobs including opportunities for cadets, apprentices and trainees.
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MORDIALLOC FREEWAY
■ Nine kilometres long
■ Four lanes
■ Three metres-wide cycle path
■ Six metre wide pedestrian underpass at Braeside Park
■ One set of traffic lights and one intersection
■ Uninterrupted journey between Clayton and Frankston
■ 100km/h speed limit
■ 1,000,000 new plants
■ 5700 new trees
■ Seven minutes saved in northbound morning trip
■ Ten minutes saved in southbound evening trip
■ 930 construction trucks
■ 3.2 million tonnes of crushed rock and asphalt
■ 96 per cent locally sourced material
■ 230,000 tonnes of asphalt
■ 13,000 trucks kept off local roads
■ 400 new jobs (10 per cent apprentices trainees and cadets)
■ Drinking fountain
■ Two bicycle repair stations
■ 10 seats
■ Eight kilometres of noise walls
■ 15 kilometres of safety barriers