PROJECT REPORT
MASTERING THE
MONASH
IN LATE 2015 STAGE ONE OF UPGRADES TO IMPROVE TRAVEL TIMES, SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ON ONE OF MELBOURNE’S MOST IMPORTANT ROUTES, THE MONASH FREEWAY WAS ANNOUNCED. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SITS DOWN WITH MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS VICTORIA TO GET AN UPDATE ON STAGE TWO OF THE WORKS.
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ork on the first section of the Monash Freeway, by Transurban and VicRoads, began in 2016. Two years later, 30 kilometres of extra lanes had been added to the freeway and Stage One construction was estimated to save commuters seven minutes during peak hour. Stage Two of the Monash Freeway, announced in late 2018 and the upgrade is being undertaken by Major Road Projects Victoria, with CPB Contractors. It includes the construction of 36 kilometres of new freeway lanes, connections to arterial roads, smart on-road technology installation, upgrades to O’Shea Road and construction of a shared user path in Beaconsfield. In total, $1.4 billion has been invested to improve the Monash Freeway. Catherine Gunn, Project Director for the Monash Freeway Upgrade Stage Two says the works in this section of the project will complement Stage One and make journeys on the freeway quicker, easier and safer. “We are very much looking to improve traffic flow and travel times. We are also looking to make it easier to get onto the freeway network, so we’ve got some upgrades to connections and there will be improvements in the Beaconsfield interchange area to make it easier for walking and cycling there,” Gunn says.
UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS She says 1.8 million people live along the Monash Corridor and the surrounding suburbs produce an economic output of $75 billion a year. “It’s important that this part of Melbourne has a freeway with capacity and connectivity. There are also a few growth fronts that this project touches upon and this project will also improve access and connectivity to these new housing developments.” Major construction began on Stage Two this year and teams have been creating a workzone in the centre median by moving all of the current freeway lanes onto the shoulders. Gunn explains the project is set up in four discrete sections, the Western, Central, Eastern and the arterial connection at O’Shea Road. O’Shea Road was originally a council owned road and work on the project will see it upgraded to an arterial road with three lanes in either direction to create a smooth connection onto the freeway. Works undertaken to date have focused on fixing and improving the temporary shoulder lanes, readjusting the lane use management signs to match the new lane locations and adding temporary barriers to prepare the freeway for construction. In total, around 46 kilometres of temporary barriers were needed to create the
Catherine Gunn, Project Director for the Monash Freeway Upgrade Stage Two.
workzone in the centre median where the main work is happening. Construction has also started on the project’s bridges, in total eight bridges will need upgrades. There are four bridges in the Western section which all need widening. Piling works for foundations have commenced on these as well the construction of the substructure roadsonline.com.au
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