The Bridge Inn Road Upgrade has delivered a huge boost for active transport in Melbourne’s booming outer northern suburbs.
The project recently completed work on its shared paths and pedestrian crossing points, improving safety and connectivity for walking and cycling between Doreen and Mernda.
The path upgrades fill in missing sections to create new continuous connections between Plenty and Garden roads on either side of Bridge Inn Road. One of the new sections extends across Doreen’s historic Plenty River bridge, which we've repurposed for walking and cycling after building a new four-lane bridge for vehicles.
During construction of the paths, crews laid nearly 1900 cubic metres of concrete – enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool.
Local children from Kiddy Palace Learning Centre in Mernda gave the paths a big thumbs-up on recently when the project team took them on a guided walk over the bridge.
In a further boost for safer active transport, the project also built a new pedestrian crossing with traffic lights on Bridge Inn Road near Ivanhoe Grammar School. We switched on the lights in October, providing a big boost for the safety of students accessing schools in the area.
The completion of the shared path and signalised crossing follow the recent opening of the final section of new lanes, between Painted Hills and Yan Yean roads. The opening marked the end of major works to effectively double the road’s traffic capacity between Plenty and Yan Yean roads.
We've completed major works ahead of schedule, with this important milestone initially scheduled for 2025. Crews will continue undertaking minor works including landscaping and other finishing works along Bridge Inn Road over the coming months. For the safety of crews completing these works, some lane and side-road closures will be in place on Bridge Inn Road at certain times.
The project has also improved Bridge Inn Road’s key intersections at Vantage Point Boulevard and Schotters, Painted Hills, Cookes and Garden roads. The upgrade will help reduce travel times, improve safety and boost connectivity to homes, businesses and local amenities including Mernda’s train station and town centre.
For more information about the upgrade, view Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.