Motorists are enjoying safer and smoother trips through Dandenong South, with major works on the Pound Road West Upgrade now complete – ahead of schedule.
Along with our construction partner, Seymour Whyte, we've have completed the Pound Road West Upgrade in less than 2 years
The upgrade has connected Pound Road West and Remington Drive with a new bridge over the Cranbourne rail line, and added an extra lane each way between Abbotts Road and South Gippsland Highway.
In removing the pre-existing dead ends at Pound Road West and Remington Drive, the new bridge provides a second connection between Abbotts Road and South Gippsland Highway, improving access to the freeway network and reducing travel times for businesses.
By 2031, it’s expected more than 40,000 vehicles will use Pound Road West and Remington Drive every day.
The project team recently celebrated the upgrade’s completion with a community event at Pound Road West. The event included a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony, a drive over the new bridge by a convoy of locally owned trucks and buses, followed by a free lunch at Five Star Café to thank local businesses for their patience during construction.
Crews completed more than 400,000 working hours over the course of the upgrade, which included:
- more than 30,000 hours worked by apprentices, trainees and cadets, in a significant contribution towards the Victorian Government’s Major Projects Skills Guarantee
- more than 18,000 Aboriginal employment hours.
In a joint initiative with the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), the project organised a number of Behind the Barriers events for female students from local secondary schools to raise awareness of the wide range of career opportunities in the construction sector.
And in a first for Major Road Projects Victoria, the project team recycled nearly 500 items of used work clothing and PPE, preventing the creation of almost 300kg of carbon dioxide.
Finishing works on the project will continue until later in 2023 and will include drainage, landscaping and rectification works.