M80 Ring Road to get extra lanes in $700m upgrade to cut bottlenecks

MOTORISTS are set for a smoother journey on the M80 Ring Road as nightmare bottle­necks are wiped out in a $700 million overhaul.

The M80 Ring Road is to get another overhaul.

MOTORISTS are set for a smoother journey on the M80 Ring Road as nightmare bottle­necks are wiped out in a $700 million overhaul.

Extra lanes will be added for 14km along the critical arterial in an upgrade which will be jointly funded by the state and federal governments.

Work is set to begin in the middle of next year and will pave the way for the State Government to complete the ring road around Melbourne with the North East Link.

But the 165,000 motorists who use the M80 every day will face years of delays during construction, with the project not expected to be finished until early 2022.

The federal funding is part of a $1.5 billion infrastructure bonanza, previously committed to the East West Link, unlocked by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull last month.

The 7.9km stretch of the M80 between the Princes Freeway and the Western Highway will be widened to four lanes in each direction. An extra lane will also be added for 2.4km between Plenty Rd and the Greensborough Highway, and for 4km between Sydney Rd and Edgars Rd.

The $700 million project is part of an overall $1 billion upgrade of the M80, with work already under way to widen the section between Sunshine Ave and the Calder Freeway.

By the end of 2018, there will be two extra lanes in each direction from Sunshine Ave to the EJ Whitten Bridge. The bridge is being extended from six lanes to 10 lanes.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said the M80 upgrade would “complete this vital missing link” and ease congestion for motorists.

“We’re putting people first by finishing the M80 Ring Road and creating a safer and smoother drive,” he said.

Electronic speed signs and ramp signals will be installed.