COMMUNITY CELEBRATES THE COMPLETION OF THE PAKENHAM BYPASS
Traffic congestion through Melbourne’s south east is set for a major improvement with Victorian Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas officially opening the $242 million Pakenham Bypass today. At a community event to mark the opening of the new 20 km/h Pakenham Bypass, Mr Pallas said the project completes the missing link in the freeway network connecting Melbourne and the Gippsland region.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Traffic congestion through Melbourne’s south east is set for a major improvement with Victorian Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas officially opening the $242 million Pakenham Bypass today.
At a community event to mark the opening of the new 20 km/h Pakenham Bypass, Mr Pallas said the project completes the missing link in the freeway network connecting Melbourne and the Gippsland region.
“The opening of the bypass will provide a huge boost to the mobility of local residents and through traffic,” he said.
Federal Minister - elect Anthony Albanese, said the opening of the project would provide an important freeway link between Melbourne and Gippsland.
“The project will deliver a host of benefits to the local community and on a national level,” Mr Albanese said.
“The Pakenham Bypass project is funded under AusLink, the Australian Government’s $38.1 billion National Land Transport Plan.”
Mr Pallas said that with the new freeway route taking traffic out of the Pakenham township and away from traffic signals, the Pakenham Bypass will reduce travel times by up to 50 per cent between Beaconsfield and Nar Nar Goon.
“The project is expected to deliver travel time savings and safety benefits estimated to be worth around $70 million over the next 20 years,” Mr Pallas said.
“Furthermore, this corridor goes through some of the fastest growing areas in the state, and this new road link will relieve traffic pressure on the existing arterial road.
“We are confident that this project will assist in the growth and development of Pakenham and surrounding areas into the future.”
Mr Pallas said the project has been delivered on schedule and will be fully operational in time for the busy Christmas holiday period.
“Like the overwhelming majority of major road projects recently built across the state, this project has been completed on time and on budget.
“Traffic will be able to drive on the new Pakenham Bypass in the coming days following final connection works with the Princes Highway.”
Mr Pallas acknowledged the efforts of VicRoads and its roadworks contractors, FRH Group and Abigroup, for the successful completion of the project.
“The completion of the Pakenham Bypass is exciting news for all Victorians who live and travel in the south eastern suburbs and areas beyond,” he said.
“This is the first project completed under the Auslink Agreement and is a testament to what can be achieved with this collaborative agreement between State and Federal Governments.
Mr Albanese said the $242 million project was equally funded by the State and Federal Governments, providing an important link for residents and businesses in south east Victoria.
Related Content
Release Date
This story was released on 2007-12-03. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.