State Government expected to announce plans to fix Chandler Highway between Fairfield and Kew

THE State Government is working on detailed planning for a future upgrade of the Chandler Highway.

Dave Jones from the RACV with South Alphington and Fairfield Civic Association president David McKenzie and local resident Professor Greg O'Brien. Chandler Highway Bridge has been named number one worst congestion spot in Melbounre in the Leader RACV survey. Picture: Kris Reichl

VICTORIAN Liberals are set to announce a proposal to fix the Chandler Highway bottleneck between Fairfield and Kew in the lead-up to the November state ­election.

In June, Labor committed to duplicate the bridge and the Liberals are preparing to match the proposal.

At a Transport Forum in Ivanhoe last week, Liberal candidate Carl Ziebell said the Napthine Government was in discussions with Yarra Council about reserving land at the former Amcor site for the works and an “announcement is expected before the end of the year”.

The Chandler Highway was named Melbourne’s worst chokepoint in this year’s RACV/Leader Redspot survey.

Roads Minister Terry Mulder’s spokeswoman Jess Maguire confirmed the government was completing detailed planning for a future upgrade of the highway.

She said further infrastructure announcements would be made in the lead-up to the state election.

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Northcote state Labor MP Fiona Richardson said the government was merely trying to play catch-up and the former Labor government had already done all the hard work, with costings and plans drawn up.

“I welcome the government getting on board but this is something that should have been done years ago, not just in the lead-up to the state election,” Ms Richardson said.

“They’ve had four years to do something about this but the plans have been sitting there gathering dust since 2010.”

Ms Richardson said there was little enthusiasm for the idea from the Liberals when she mentioned bridge duplication in Parliament.

“Every time I mention it they groan — the only reason they’re interested in it now is because it’s part of a business case as a significant feeder from the East West Link,” she said.

Northcote Greens candidate Trent McCarthy said “like the community, the Greens want to cut congestion at Chandler”.

“The Labor and Liberal plans will only push traffic back up to Heidelberg Rd,” Mr McCarthy said.

“And they’ll both build East West Link, which will see thousands more trucks and cars use Chandler to avoid the tolls.

“We’ll soon be announcing our plan to cut congestion in Alphington, not increase it like Labor and Liberal.”