Unfinished Craigieburn Rd duplication business case leaves drivers seeing red
DRIVERS fear they are being “strung along” about the Craigieburn Rd duplication with the business case still incomplete, a lobby groups warns.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
DRIVERS fear they are being “strung along” about the Craigieburn Rd duplication with the business case still incomplete, a lobby groups warns.
The $250,000 business case for the duplication of Craigieburn Rd between Hanson Rd and Aitken Blvd was announced by the State Government in October, 2016.
RELATED: No State Budget money for Craigieburn Rd duplication
But Craigieburn Rd campaigner Jim Overend said he felt the project was never going to happen despite increasing congestion and safety issues.
“The government is just trying to appease residents with a business case but I don’t think they have any intention of following it through,” he said. “They are stringing us along.
“The situation is worse than ever. It’s getting more and more congested. You now can’t get in and out surrounding streets.”
RELATED: Decision on Craigieburn Rd duplication cash won’t be made for several months
More than 28,000 motorists use the single-lane Craigieburn Rd between Hanson Rd and Bridgewater Rd each day.
“It was built to carry a maximum of 20,000 vehicles,” Mr Overend said.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen. You have students and the elderly trying to negotiate the traffic.”
The duplication of Craigieburn Rd was identified as a priority project by Hume Council, with the suburb’s population expected to rise by about 50 per cent by 2036.
More than a 1000 people have signed a petition calling for the road duplication.
When asked by Leader, neither VicRoads nor the State Government could say where the business case was up to and when it would it be finished.
But in a letter to Northern Metropolitan Region state Liberal MP Craig Ondarchie, Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said VicRoads had recently undertaken traffic modelling investigations.
Mr Donnellan said initial planning investigations such as cultural and European heritage and environmental investigations had started.
Woman rushed to hospital after Wollert crash
A woman has been rushed to hospital after a collision involving a truck at Wollert in Melbourne’s north.
Panton Hill star’s career day leads DVCA action
A Panton Hill batter enjoyed a career best day with the bat while there were career firsts and impressive performances across the board. See all the DVCA talking points.