QUESTIONS still linger on about the progress on the Donnybrook Road upgrade.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has called on the Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne to immediately release the final designs for the upgrade of Donnybrook Road.
Ms Lovell said the minister advised her last year that Major Road Projects Victoria was progressing planning work, which would be complete in late 2025.
The timeline shown on the Big Build webpage for the Donnybrook Road upgrade also says planning work would be complete in late 2025 after feedback from the community consultation had been reviewed.
Ms Lovell said 2026 is now well under way, but there are no signs of any design work being released to the public, and locals are concerned that the most urgent sections of the upgrade will not be prioritised by the State Government.
“Donnybrook Road is the most egregious example of Labor’s planning failures in growth areas. Fully duplicating Donnybrook Road, including the bridge over the Hume Freeway, is an urgent necessity, but the Allan Labor Government won’t commit to this vital project,” she said.
“The government promised the final designs for Donnybrook Road would be complete in 2025. Labor must stop the delays, release the designs, and reveal how it plans to upgrade Donnybrook Road.”
In response to inquiries from North Central Review, a Big Build Roads spokesperson said: “We are upgrading the Donnybrook Road and Mitchell Street intersection – replacing the roundabout with traffic lights – building on the slip lane works completed in September 2023 that delivered immediate congestion relief for drivers accessing the Hume Freeway.”
“This next stage follows the detailed business case and corridor planning work we have undertaken for Donnybrook Road between Mickleham and Epping roads, setting the road up for further upgrades.”
The spokesperson did not comment over any dates of the release of the final designs and construction timing.
On March 24, 2025, the federal and state governments announced a $125 million investment for stage one of the project, which will upgrade the Donnybrook Road and Mitchell Street roundabout, replacing it with a fully signalised intersection.
The project will also deliver a new bridge over Kalkallo Creek and major safety improvements, including new barriers to better protect motorists and pedestrians.
A government spokesperson said the intersection upgrade is now in the pre-construction phase as it progresses towards construction, with design refinement, planning approvals and preparation of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan currently under way. Construction timing will be known once this detailed work has further progressed.
For more information, visit: Donnybrook Road Upgrade – Victoria’s Big Build