- Published:
- Wednesday 30 October 2019
Drivers on the M80 Ring Road can look forward to reduced congestion and more reliable connections to major freeways following the award of a contract to upgrade the section between Sydney Road and Edgars Road.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack announced CPB Contractors has been appointed to deliver the new lanes, entry and exit ramps and a freeway management system to boost capacity and improve safety.
“This $518 million investment to upgrade the 4 kilometre section between Sydney Road and Edgars Road will be a state-shaping project,” Mr McCormack said.
“This is the fifth section of the ring road to be undertaken, bringing the M80 one step closer to the completion of a full upgrade.”
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the upgrade will deliver a range of benefits to get people home sooner and safer.
“This upgrade will add new lanes, boost capacity, bust congestion, and remove dangerous weaving by traffic at entry and exit points to make the M80 Ring Road safer and more efficient,” Mr Tudge said.
“The upgrades to the M80 will remove bottlenecks in Melbourne’s growing northern suburbs and bring relief to thousands of drivers each day, providing better access to local and arterial roads.”
Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan says these improvements will make this section of the M80 much safer.
“Since 2014 there have been a total of 88 crashes between Sydney Road and Edgars Road resulting in 28 serious injury crashes and 1 fatality. Most of these crashes occur in or on freeway on-and-off ramps or at on-and-off ramp merging lanes,” Ms Allan said.
A freeway management system will also be installed featuring overhead electronic signs which will provide real time travel information for drivers and help manage traffic flow. The system includes overhead variable speed limits and ramp signals to manage access onto the Ring Road.
Victorian Member for Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny said the upgrade will deliver more lanes and better connections to reduce congestion and is another positive step with the major road upgrades underway in the area.
“New ramps connecting the Hume Freeway and Edgars Road will give our community a safer and more efficient connection to the Ring Road,” Ms Halfpenny said.
Victorian Member for Broadmeadows Frank McGuire said the upgrade will deliver travel time savings for the local community.
“By extending the Sydney Road entry and exit ramps we’ll not only give drivers more time to merge as they come in and out of the gateway to Broadmeadows, but also support local jobs” Mr McGuire said.
Construction of this section of the M80 Ring Road is expected to begin in early 2020 and the project is due for completion by early 2023.
Works to upgrade the M80 Ring Road commenced in 2009, with the sections between Western Highway and Sydney Road and Edgars Road to Plenty Road already benefitting from increased capacity and improved safety for drivers creating more reliable travel times for motorists travelling across the city.
The Australian and Victorian Governments are jointly investing $1 billion to the M80 Upgrade, which is being delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria.
When complete, the M80 Ring Road upgrade will provide more reliable connections to major freeways and interstate links including the Hume Highway, future North East Link, Princes and West Gate Freeways and the future West Gate Tunnel.