The new lanes are now open on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade, marking the end of major works 18 months ahead of schedule while dramatically boosting the safety of the road for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Project crews as well as Pakenham SES, Koo Wee Rup and Nar Nar Goon CFA volunteers visited the site to see the safety improvements from the project.
The Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade has been hard at work building 2 lanes in both directions from Southeast Boulevard to Manks Road, 10 kms of walking and cycling path and built 3 new roundabouts.
The project has delivered significant safety improvements to Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road, which has had at least 43 incidents resulting in 5 fatalities and 21 serious injuries through collisions between 2016 and September 2021.
Some of the safety improvements as part of the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade include:
- Two lanes of separated traffic each way, significantly decreasing the likelihood of head-on collisions
- Three new roundabouts with curved approaches to slow traffic, increasing visibility and allowing for easier navigation of these former 4 way intersections
- Continuous safety barriers on both sides of road throughout the upgraded area
- A new intersection at Greenhills Road with traffic lights (to improve safety for drivers turning in and out of Greenhills Road)
- New shared user paths for pedestrians and cyclists as well as safer crossing points at Greenhills Road.
The upgrade has further improved driving conditions and safety for the 21,000 daily vehicles that rely on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road each day, including 4,200 heavy vehicles.
Hear from CFA and SES crew members as well as community campaigner Gary King about how this upgrade will save lives, in the video below.
The Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Upgrade has delivered:
- an extra lane in each direction between Princes Freeway and Manks Road
- new traffic lights at Greenhills Road
- two new bridges over Deep Creek near the water recycling plant
- new roundabouts at Hall Road, south of Deep Creek and Ballarto Road
- a new shared walking and cycling path
- safety barriers along the road.
- A safer, more consistent and comfortable drive between Pakenham and Koo Wee Rup.
The Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments as part of the $3.1 billion Suburban Roads Upgrade package.
The Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade is part of a wider investment in improving transport infrastructure in Pakenham including level crossing removals at Racecourse Road, McGregor Road and Main Street, and two new train stations at Pakenham and East Pakenham.
Together, these projects are creating a more efficient transport network for Pakenham, reducing bottlenecks, improving connectivity and safety for all road users.