Residents fume as Mickleham Rd duplication misses out in State Budget

Hume is booming with development and an increasing number of people moving into the area, but residents are disappointed at the lack of road infrastructure announced in the State Budget.

Growing traffic congestion is a growing problem in Greenvale.

The long-awaited Mickleham Rd duplication project has again missed out in the State Budget announced on Monday.

However, Hume has secured cash for new primary schools announced last year — Greenvale North West and Merrifield West — to open in 2021.

Money in the State Budget was also allocated to the new Craigieburn South Secondary School ($10.7 million) and the new Craigieburn fire station ($3.3 million). Both are expected to be completed by 2020-2021.

Greenvale Residents Association secretary Charlie Grech said although he was pleased to see schools being supported, he was disappointed the Mickleham Rd duplication, between Somerton Rd and Craigieburn Rd, had again been put off.

“It means more traffic backing up, more congestion and delays,” Mr Grech said.

“This has been an issue for the past 10 years.”

He said the government should stop new development if they couldn’t provide the infrastructure.

In 2015, there were 21,181 cars which used Mickleham Rd per week, 500m north of Somerton Rd. In 2018, this increased to 28,615 cars per week — a 35 per cent increase in just three years.

Jim Overend, who has campaigned for more transport infrastructure, said the community needed a commitment and an official start date.

Yuroke state Labor MP Ros Spence said the budget delivered on the commitments the government had made before the last election.

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However, Ms Spence said she would continue to lobby for the Mickleham Rd duplication.

“I will absolutely continue to advocate along with residents and community groups to secure funding for these works,” she said.

Hume Mayor Carly Moore said the council had spent years calling for the duplication.

“We are very disappointed that the voices of our community, of our local member and the council have not been heard in regard to the duplication of Mickleham Rd,” she said.

Cr Moore said the council had called on the government to stop the implementation of the Precinct Structure Plan — a key step in development of land — for Craigieburn West until there was a commitment to fund the Mickleham Rd duplication.