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$400 million Monash Freeway upgrade to create 10-lane super-highway, cut commute by 10 minutes

TENS of thousands of Monash Freeway motorists will have their daily commute cut by almost 10 minutes, under a $400 million upgrade.

n31bl402 Traffic congestion on Monash freeway Berwick at 1pm on tuesday 19th January, inbound traffic photo taken from Clyde rd.
n31bl402 Traffic congestion on Monash freeway Berwick at 1pm on tuesday 19th January, inbound traffic photo taken from Clyde rd.

TENS of thousands of Monash Freeway motorists will have their daily commute cut by almost 10 minutes, under a $400 million upgrade.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the State Government has signed off on widening key sections of the freeway to create room for an extra 2000 vehicles during peak times.

Between the EastLink interchange and South Gippsland Freeway, the Monash will be turned into a 10-lane super-highway by adding an extra lane in each direction.

And between the South Gippsland Freeway exit and Clyde Rd in Berwick, the Monash will be widened from two to three lanes in each direction.

The project, to be finished by the end of 2018, also includes the use of smart technology to help ease traffic jams in merge hot spots.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the upgrade would “reduce traffic, cut travel times, improve safety and create 400 jobs”.

“The upgrade will remove bumper-to-bumper conditions at bottlenecks along the Monash,” Mr Andrews said.

The section of road will remain toll free, and the project will be put out to tender next year.

What’s in the pipeline.
What’s in the pipeline.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said Melbourne’s southeast was a fast-growing area, and that more than 200,000 people used the Monash Freeway each day.

“The upgrade will increase capacity during peak periods between EastLink and the South Gippsland Freeway by up to 25 per cent and on the Hallam Bypass by up to 50 per cent,” Mr Donnellan said.

A business case for the project, which has a benefit-cost ratio of 4.2, will be sent to Infrastructure Australia, and the state will seek federal funding.

This may be sourced from the $1.5 billion previously set aside for the East West Link — a project dumped by Mr Andrews on winning the state election.

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison has confirmed that $1.5 billion can be transferred to other mutually agreeable infrastructure projects.

Federal Government minister and Victorian MP Greg Hunt has previously advocated for the widening of the Monash Freeway.

The business case has been developed at the same time as the state examines tolling Transurban’s proposal for a $5.5 billion Western Distributor — a project that would also include M1 upgrades.

However, the EastLink-to-Clyde Rd widening would proceed regardless of whether the Western Distributor is built.

matthew.johnston@news.com.au

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/400-million-monash-freeway-upgrade-to-create-10lane-superhighway-cut-commute-by-10-minutes/news-story/ca831e5c217013016dd1799eb1e3fc70