Melbourne Airport begins work on express road connecting freeway to Terminal 4
Construction is set to start next week on a new elevated road aimed at reducing Melbourne Airport’s notorious congestion woes. This is how it will work.
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A major project designed to bust traffic jams at Melbourne Airport will start construction next week as work begins on a $60 million express road connected to the Tullamarine Freeway
The new elevated road, to be finished by early 2021, will carry thousands of cars to Terminal 4 in a bid to tackle the frustrating bottlenecks around the entrance to the airport.
Another $260 million is earmarked for the next stage of upgrades due in 2023, which would include a second elevated link to the other main terminals.
Authorities believe new roads at Tullamarine are needed by 2025 to prevent drivers from being stuck in gridlock for 30 minutes at the airport’s doorstep.
Melbourne Airport’s chief commercial officer of landside access, Lorie Argus said annual passenger numbers at the airport would increase to 70 million by 2038.
“This is the first step in that direct link to the Tullamarine Freeway,” she said.
“It is not intuitive to get to Terminal 4 at the moment and this will make sure its really easy.”
Ms Argus said there would be minimal disruptions to motorists but 350 long-term parking bays will be removed to build an on-ramp to the main road.
“By the end of this project we will have one dedicated system for all the public traffic coming into the network,” she said.
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“If you look at our growth trajectory we really do need to improve these roads now.
“The most critical part is separating the traffic in a way that also allows for when we do have a rail link to the airport.”
The new elevated road is expected to open by March 2021.