COMMUNITIES in Melbourne’s outer north will soon spend less time in traffic with safer and more reliable journeys, with work on the $175 million upgrade to the Watson Street Interchange and Northern Highway Intersection progressing in Wallan.
The Federal Government has contributed $90 million, and the State Government $85 million to the project.
The Watson Street Interchange Upgrade completes the diamond interchange at Watson Street and the Hume Freeway.
The project will add new freeway ramps, giving drivers direct access to Wallan northbound and the freeway southbound, easing congestion and improving traffic flow.
New traffic lights will be installed on both sides of the Watson Street bridge, along with improved walking and cycling paths.
The Northern Highway Intersection Upgrade will improve safety and increase capacity at a key Wallan intersection.
The first stage of upgrades along the corridor will include new lanes and a second right-turn lane from Watson Street heading north, which will improve traffic flow. Walking and cycling connections will be upgraded for safer local travel.
The upgrades are together expected to create more than 1100 jobs during construction.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said there will be great improvements to the road network.
“From Watson Street and the Northern Highway to Donnybrook Road, our significant investments in Melbourne’s outer north will make it safer and easier for people to get around,” she said.
Speaking further at a press conference on Thursday, Ms King said this would help the Wallan community greatly.
“When Wallan first started, it was a pretty small country town, and we’ve seen over the years huge housing development happen in this area, as well as a significant industrial estate,” she said.
“The Hume Highway, the major arterial between Sydney and Melbourne, takes a huge volume of traffic from Wallan now. People try to get into Melbourne to work but also trying to get across the Hume to get their kids to school, to get to childcare, to get to shops as well.
“It was really clear that this interchange was not up to scratch, it was only a half interchange, it was not able to provide the needs of our local community.”
Ms King added this benefits people trying to get back to Melbourne as well.
“What this means for the local community when the upgrade is finished is that they’ll now longer have to travel miles out of the way to try and do a loop to get back on to the road to get to Melbourne, but it also moves the community in a much safer way,” she said.
“It also means the freight won’t be transiting through suburban streets, which is not safe. It provides real connectivity for this community, and it’s been a long time coming.
“I’m delighted to see work well and truly underway for the region.”
Federal Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell said the pressure on local roads will ease.
“These upgrades will help keep people moving safely in our communities and reduce congestion on busy local roads,” he said.
Site investigations are also nearing completion for the Camerons Lane interchange on the Hume Freeway, the next major project in the pipeline.
The new interchange will improve access for growing residential areas and ease pressure on the wider network.
State Minister for Transport Infrastructure and Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams said these projects will reduce traffic time.
“These projects will deliver safer and more reliable roads for growing communities, helping people spend less time in traffic and more time getting where they need to go,” she said.