New Akuna Drive Road

We’re removing the Maddox Road and Champion Road level crossings to make Newport level crossing free in 2026 – improving safety and creating more reliable travel times.

We’re building rail bridges over Maddox Road and closing Champion Road at the rail line. To keep locals moving, we’re extending Akuna Drive to connect Champion Road to Maddox Road. The new road will open before Champion Road is closed in 2026. We’ll also build a new pedestrian and cycling bridge over the rail line at Champion Road.

Work on the new Akuna Drive is underway. The new road will service local businesses and community services and include new all-day car parking.

The new Akuna Drive will open by mid-2026.

New Akuna Drive and Maddox Road intersection

The Akuna Drive and Maddox Road intersection is designed to keep drivers moving now and into the future. In addition to the removal of the level crossing, the design prioritises traffic moving along Maddox Road and provides the best outcome for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

There will also be dedicated right turn lanes from Maddox Road onto Akuna Drive and Macaulay Street.

The Maddox Road walking and cycling path will cross the new Akuna Drive approximately 15m from the intersection, providing line of sight for vehicles approaching the intersection, and a safer journey for cyclists and pedestrians.

The intersection design does not preclude traffic lights to be installed in future, if traffic volumes warrant this.

New Akuna Drive road features

• Key connection for local businesses and services
• Dedicated right turn lanes from Maddox Road into Akuna Drive and Macaulay Street
• New car parking along the road

Intersection design and performance

When designing the new intersection, we have considered existing and future vehicle movements, traffic flow and public safety.

Traffic modelling shows that most vehicles will use Maddox Road and Melbourne Road via Kororoit Creek Road during peak periods. This means most of the traffic on the new Akuna Drive will be local traffic.

Based on predicted traffic movements, the intersection is expected to perform well, and keep traffic moving.

Newport road network performance

The road network within the Newport and Williamstown North area will continue to perform well following the closure of Champion Road at the level crossing in 2026.

The new link road will primarily be used by locals for neighbourhood and local business trips and, on average, will add only 2 minutes to local journeys.

Removing the boom gates will improve traffic flow and create more reliable journeys on Maddox Road, helping to maintain a strong local road network performance in the Newport and Williamstown North area.