New P-turns to be introduced to the intersection of Johnston St and Hoddle St

IT’S a bold move to bust congestion but will it work? A notorious Hoddle St bottleneck will use new so-called “P-turns” from next week.

CONFUSION is set to reign on Hoddle St when bold new congestion-busting P-turns are introduced to the notorious bottleneck next week.

The new turning lanes are the next step in the Andrews Government’s $60 million upgrade to transform one of Melbourne’s most notorious traffic hot spots into a free-flowing arterial.

But motorists — who already have to contend with Melbourne’s hook turn — have been warned the baffling new changes will take some getting used to as busy choke points are turned into US-inspired, continuous-flow intersections.

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This is a P-turn.

From April 16, drivers wanting to turn right from Hoddle or Johnston streets will have to go straight through the intersection. They will then make a U-turn at new turning lanes further ahead and can turn left into Johnston St from the other side.

New signs, lights and road markings will be used to guide drivers adjusting to the scheme.

Acting Minister for Roads and Road Safety Jacinta Allan said she wanted to thank local residents and businesses for their patience during the regular construction work.

“We know that the road works on Hoddle St have been frustrating, but (we) need to get this work done to keep Melbourne’s busiest arterial road moving,” she said.

“These new P-turns will take some getting used to but they mean we can give drivers on Hoddle St longer green lights, while still allowing right turns in and out of Johnston St.”

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Hoddle St is notorious for backed-up traffic. Picture: Jason Edwards

Every day, 130,000 motorists use the busy arterial while another 200,000 use intersecting roads to move around Melbourne’s inner city.

More intersection upgrades will be rolled out along Hoddle St as upgrade works continue to cut down queues at busy intersections and allow more traffic to pass through.

The first stage of the Streamlining Hoddle St project is expected to be completed by mid-year, with lane closures and other traffic changes expected as crews continue to work.

Traffic queuing on Johnston St, Collingwood. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

Intersections at Punt Rd and Swan St will also be streamlined and an extra lane will be created on to the Eastern Freeway to ease peak-hour gridlock along the busy stretch.

In January, construction crews sparked commuter chaos when they shut down the road to traffic between the Eastern Freeway and Alexandra Pde for an eight-day construction blitz.

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