The new Akuna Drive link road in Melbourne’s inner west is set to open to traffic in early April.
The new road is being built as part of the project to get rid of 2 dangerous level crossings at Maddox and Champion roads, and will keep locals moving safely between Newport and Williamstown.
Akuna Drive will connect Champion Road to a boom gate free Maddox Road and include car parking for up to 80 vehicles on both sides of the road, with a further 50 parking spaces on Park Crescent.
Driver journeys will also be improved by upgrades to the intersection of Maddox and Kororoit Creek roads, which opened to traffic this week and features an extended right-turn lane, adjusted traffic signals and a dedicated U-turn to improve traffic flow.
After Akuna Drive opens, a 2-week construction blitz will kick off to build the rail bridges over Maddox Road, easing congestion and boosting safety by separating trains from vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
Buses will replace trains between Newport and Werribee from Friday night, 10 April to first service, Saturday 25 April as crews work around the clock to complete the new rail bridges, and lift in the new pedestrian and cycling bridge over Champion Road, set to open in mid-April.
Champion Road will close permanently at the rail line from Friday 10 April, and a shuttle bus will be available to safely transport locals across the rail line until the new pedestrian and cycling bridge opens.
When passenger trains return to the Werribee Line on 25 April, they will also return to the Altona Loop and run on the new elevated bridges over Maddox Road, while crews start to build the third rail bridge over the road, ready to transport freight trains later this year.
Once the project is complete, about 230 native trees and more than 35,000 plants, shrubs and grasses will be planted throughout the area.
Stay up to date via passenger information displays at your station and by visiting the Transport Victoria website.
Five level crossings are going for good in Melbourne’s inner west, at Newport, Altona, Spotswood and Yarraville, making the Werribee line boom gate free by 2030.
