Melb Airport travellers warned of traffic chaos in school holiday surge

Melbourne Airport travellers have been warned to plan ahead as roadworks at Tullamarine are set to cause major delays during the AFL finals and school holidays.

Sunbury rd is closed due to flooding along with the main arterial into Tullamarine Airport Melbourne causing traffic Chaos. Picture: Jason Edwards

Families using Melbourne Airport during school holidays have been urged to give themselves an extra 30 minutes to get to Tullamarine due to roadwork traffic chaos.

The airport is building a new elevated road called Naarm Way that will eventually funnel motorists to a new pick-up and drop-off zone, but construction has reduced arrival lanes and car park spaces this year.

Traffic congestion is set to impact more than 1.78m travellers who will flow through the airport in the next fortnight, as AFL finals crowds and school holiday traffic surge.

In total, traveller numbers are forecast to be 3 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Melbourne Airport chief of ground transport, Jai McDermott, said it was important for travellers to plan ahead at peak times to minimise stress on the roads.

Traffic congestion is set to affect more than 1.78m travellers who will flow through Melbourne Airport in the next fortnight. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We have scaled back works on our road upgrades throughout the school holiday to accommodate the influx of passengers, but we know there will still be some impact to travellers,” he said.

“We apologise for the inconvenience, but with growing passenger numbers it’s essential we upgrade our road network to reduce future delays.

“To minimise stress, book your parking in advance online to lock in the cheapest rate, and allow an extra 30 minutes for your journey to the airport.”

Mr McDermott said the airport would “flex up our operations” to provide more staff, and had juggled construction schedules to avoid the worst shutdowns clashing with school holiday travel.

“The AFL has got a grand final at the MCG but we have got a grand final crowd every day,” he said.

School holiday travellers are urged to lock in their parking at Melbourne Airport early.

The busiest day is set to be Grand Final eve next Friday, which is a public holiday in Victoria and is likely to see 114,000 passengers through the airport.

To ease congestion, Centre Rd will be closed inbound to travellers from Sunbury

Rd on Mondays during the school holidays, between 7am and 10am, and on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 6pm to 9pm.

Those shutdowns have already been put in place, but could vary if traffic patterns change during holiday periods.

Mr McDermott said using the Terminal 4 car park and drop-off and pick-up zone where possible would be the best bet, but that shuttle buses from long-term car parks would continue to get a free run.