$115m VIC Western Port Highway Upgrade to generate 350 jobs

Downer EDI has been awarded the contract to deliver the Western Port Highway Upgrade and this project is being delivered as part of a $3 billion package to upgrade suburban and regional roads across Victoria. 

This $115 million upgrade is anticipated to create approximately 350 direct jobs and about 480 indirect jobs during its construction phase. 

The upgrade’s scope of works include replacing the roundabouts at Ballarto Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road intersections with traffic lights. 

“The Western Port Highway Upgrade will create hundreds of Victorian jobs, while improving safety for thousands of motorists every day. 

“Upgrading the roundabouts at the intersections of Ballarto Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road with traffic lights will help deliver safer and smoother trips for motorists through the area,” Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher MP said. 

Upgrading the roundabouts will help improve traffic flow on and off the Western Port Highway and will ease congestion in Melbourne’s south-east. 

The upgrade will also include widening the intersections along with the construction of dedicated right-turn lanes and left-turn slip lanes. 

“These upgrades will reduce congestion and make driving easier and safer for Victorians in Melbourne’s rapidly growing south-eastern suburbs,” Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan MP said. 

“This will make traffic flow more easily, easing congestion, making travel times more reliable for freight, commuters and locals,” Victorian Member for Cranbourne Pauline Richards said. 

The Western Port Highway Upgrade builds on the road improvements delivered through the Thompsons Road Upgrade and Hallam Road Upgrade as well as other road upgrades in the area that improve the capacity of the local road network. 

According to Victorian Member for Carrum Sonya Kilkenny, it’s exciting to see construction commence on a project that will benefit the thousands of motorists passing through the route each day. 

“It’s great to see early construction get underway that pave the way for major works to take place from March, and the new intersections to open before the end of the year, benefitting the 17,000 vehicles that use this intersection every day. 

“Replacing the roundabouts at the intersections of Ballarto Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road with traffic lights will better manage traffic flow and will allow all 4 sets of traffic lights along the six-kilometre stretch of Western Port Highway from Thompsons Road to Cranbourne-Frankston Road to be sequenced,” Ms Kilkenny said. 

The $115 million Western Port Highway Upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts; Victoria’s Big Build; Infrastructure Magazine