- Published:
- Friday 29 May 2015
The Andrews Labor Government provided $150 million in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget to upgrade the M80 between the EJ Whitten Bridge and the Calder Freeway.
The Commonwealth’s decision to partner with Victoria – providing an additional $150 million for the $300 million project – is welcomed.
The upgrade will widen the road and install traffic management equipment, which will ease congestion and improve safety along the 1.2 kilometre section of freeway.
It’s part of the Labor Government’s plan to fix congestion on busy roads and get people home to their families safer and sooner.
The M80 Ring Road is Melbourne’s second busiest freeway. More than 330 people have been injured on the M80 in the past five years.
As part of the upgrade, the EJ Whitten Bridge will be widened, creating extra traffic lanes across the Bridge, while the existing structures will be upgraded and strengthened.
The Sunshine Avenue interchange will be upgraded and widened to allow more traffic to enter and exit the freeway. Ramp signals on the Greensborough-bound entry ramp will be installed to allow traffic to merge safely.
The works will remove the bottleneck at Sunshine Avenue, where the lanes currently merge from four lanes into two, improving travel times and reliability for motorists.
The project will include the installation of permanent safety barriers on the bridge. The shared user path along the bridge will also be upgraded to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Planning activities for the works from the Sunshine Avenue interchange to the Calder Freeway interchange have already been completed and VicRoads will soon be inviting industry to tender.
The full M80 Ring Road Upgrade is a $2.25 billion project jointly funded by the Commonwealth Government and Victorian State Government.
Quotes attributable to Premier, Daniel Andrews
“The Western Ring Rd is at breaking point, causing delays, hassle and congestion for motorists in Melbourne’s West.”
“This project will ease congestion and cut travel times for the 160,000 drivers using the freeway every day.”
"The Victorian Government will continue to work cooperatively with the Commonwealth to deliver infrastructure projects that Victorians need."
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan
“Congestion isn’t just about being stuck in traffic – it hurts communities, businesses and our economy.”
“The M80 is Melbourne’s second-busiest freeway and it runs through one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia.”