Works to remove two notorious bottlenecks along the Chandler Highway will start within months, with Seymour Whyte Constructions announced today as the successful tenderer for the project.
The $110 million Chandler Highway Upgrade will slash travel times, improve reliability and increase access for pedestrians and cyclists.
It will include:
- Removing two major bottlenecks between Heidelberg Road and Yarrabend Park
- Building a wider six-lane bridge over the Yarra River at Alphington
- Improving cycling and pedestrian paths for a more direct and safer route to nearby trails
- Upgrading the Heidelberg Road intersection and new traffic lights at Yarra Boulevard
The historic 127-year-old Chandler Highway Bridge will be converted to a shared user path for cyclists and pedestrians, while cyclists will also be able to cross the highway via a new underpass near Yarra Boulevard.
General Sir John Monash was the supervising engineer when the bridge was built in 1891 for the then Outer Circle Railway line. The upgrade will help preserve the bridge’s iconic significance for the community.
The project will reduce travel times by 8 minutes during the AM peak and 13 minutes during the PM peak for more than 44,000 motorists that use it every day.
Construction is expected to start in May and be completed in mid-2018.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan
“We’re putting people first by unlocking the frustrating bottlenecks and building a wider and safer Chandler Highway bridge.”
“By removing the bottleneck where four lanes become two, the length of traffic queues will be reduced and allow traffic to move more freely when travelling along Chandler Highway over the Yarra River.”
Quotes attributable to the Member for Northcote Fiona Richardson
“The Chandler Highway Upgrade will improve the lives of locals. It will create new paths for cyclists and pedestrians, more links to the Yarra river and it will be easier to drive across the river without getting stuck in traffic.”
Quotes attributable to the Member for Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines
“Every Victorian knows the frustration of sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Chandler Highway and we’re getting on with fixing it.”