Significant arterial road, freeway and public transport improvement projects planned, recently completed or underway for inner Melbourne include:
The $19.2 million Plummer Street local truck bypass was identified as the preferred freight bypass option in the 2001 Webb Dock/Port Melbourne Traffic Study to provide a more direct route to the Westgate Freeway and to to reduce truck traffic along Williamstown Road in Port Melbourne.
Works involved extending Prohasky Street north from Plummer Street, to the Westgate Freeway entry ramp at Todd Road, reconstruction and strengthening of sections of Plummer Street and modifications to intersections and signals. FRH Group Pty Ltd was VicRoads contractor for the works which commenced in early 2007 and was completed in June 2008.
The Tram 109 Project is part of the Government’s initiative to create an effective and sustainable integrated transport system for Melbourne. A key objective of the Government’s Linking Victoria strategy is to increase public transport use from the current 9% to 20% by the year 2020.
By improving safety, accessibility, reliability and frequency of tram services along route 109, the Tram 109 project aims to make tram travel a more attractive transport alternative.
Route 109 is an ideal candidate for the development of innovative solutions, as the route includes sections that cover the full range of tram operating conditions that exist in Melbourne. The solutions considered for tram route 109 will also have the potential for application on other sections of the tram network.
Think tram is an exciting project to improve local tram services across some of the busiest parts of Melbourne’s tram network. New initiatives will be introduced on eight of Melbourne’s busiest tram routes that currently provide many people with frequent services to and from the central business district, sporting venues and many of Melbourne’s bustling strip shopping areas.
The program is being delivered by the State Government, VicRoads and Yarra Trams in consultation with relevant councils and local communities to ensure that all road users can safely share the available road space.
The Monash-CityLink-West Gate upgrade is a major project to improve traffic flow and safety along on Melbourne's busiest freeway corridor.
The upgrade includes additional lanes between Williamstown and Dandenong, improving entry/exit points and introducing a new intelligent freeway management system from Werribee to Narre Warren that will revolutionise how traffic flows.
As part of the $116 million first stage of the Dynon Port Rail Link project a new elevated road is being built to carry Footscray Road traffic over two new rail lines which will provide direct rail access to Swanson and Appleton Docks in the Port of Melbourne
With container volumes expected to increase fivefold in the next 30 years, the improved rail link and associated works will separate road and rail traffic and increase the amount of freight which can be carried directly to the port by rail. This will help to secure the Port of Melbourne’s pre-eminent position as Australia's largest container port, and will ease a major road and rail bottleneck.
The project is being managed by the Victorian Department of Infrastructure.
Construction started: August 2007 Completion due: Early 2009
Contractor: Leighton Contractors
Funding: Australian Government - Auslink, State Government and Port of Melbourne Corporation.