Melbourne western suburbs road upgrades: $1.8 billion for arterial roads

UPDATE: CLOGGED arterial roads in Melbourne’s west are set for a major upgrade as part of a $1.8 billion state government package. SEE THE FULL LIST

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CLOGGED arterial roads in Melbourne’s west are set for a major upgrade as part of a $1.8 billion state government package.

For the first time in Australia, a suburban road network will be upgraded and maintained for 20 years under a public-private partnership.

This will include eight high priority road upgrades, and maintenance of more than 700km of road stretching from Werribee to Footscray.

A consortium will fund and build the $1.1 billion worth of upgrades, and maintain the roads at an estimated cost of $700 million over the two decades.

IS THE GOVERNMENT UPGRADING THE RIGHT ROADS? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK BELOW

Morning congestion on Point Cook Road, one of the roads that will be upgraded. Picture: Nigel Hallett

In return, the government will make routine payments to the private operator over time.

This availability payments model has been used to build freeways — such as Peninsula Link — but never suburban arterials.

No roads will be tolled as a result of the plan, Premier Daniel Andrews said.

He assured Victorians they would get value for money, and said a business case showed for every dollar invested in the project, there would be a $4.40 economic return.

“This is one of the biggest ever projects to update suburban arterial roads,” he said.

“It’s going to create jobs, cut travel times and congestion, and improve safety.”

Point Cook Road is one of Melbourne’s hotspots for congestion. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The upgrades will involve a combination of duplication and widening roads including:

Dunnings Road and Palmers Road, from Point Cook Road to Princes Freeway, Point Cook

Palmers Road, from Princes Freeway to Western Freeway, Truganina

Derrimut Road, from Sayers Road to Dohertys Road, Tarneit

Leakes Road, from Fitzgerald Road to Derrimut Road, Truganina

Dohertys Road, from Fitzgerald Road to Grieve Parade, Laverton North

Dohertys Road, from Foundation Road to Palmers Road, Truganina

Princes Freeway/Forsyth Road interchange, Hoppers Crossing

Duncans Road interchange, Werribee/Werribee South

Treasurer Tim Pallas said the project would be put to the market, so it was not yet possible to say how much the government would pay the consortium for their work each year.

He said the figure would be disclosed once the contract was signed.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said works would begin in 2018 and the upgrades should be finished by 2022.

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