People in Melbourne’s north will get home faster and spend less time stuck in traffic, with extra lanes now open on Childs Road, easing congestion and boosting the safety of every road user.
Two new lanes are now open providing safer, more reliable journeys for the more than 25,000 drivers that rely on the critical east-west arterial every day.
Modelling shows drivers heading to and from Epping Central from Mill Park during the morning and afternoon peaks are expected to save up to 6 minutes a day on their round trip thanks to the additional capacity - delivering better access to local facilities including Pacific Epping, The Northern Hospital, Melbourne Polytechnic, local schools and Epping Railway Station.
The existing bridge over Darebin Creek is now reopened to eastbound traffic, completing a widening of a previously congested corridor on Childs Road – from 2 to 4 lanes between Beaumont Crescent and Prince of Wales Avenue.
Around 1,000 tonnes of asphalt and more than 100 permanent concrete barriers have contributed to this massive milestone as the project marks the opening of more than 1.5 kilometres of new lanes, including new median safety barriers to prevent head on collisions.
Motorists once frustrated with bottlenecks and choke points, where 2 lanes would reduce to 1, are now enjoying a smoother journey, with 2 continuous lanes in either direction over the Darebin Creek.
Already traffic is flowing inside and outside of the peak periods and on weekends, thanks to the added capacity, which is creating a better, more reliable east-west route for motorists who may otherwise use McKimmies or McDonalds Road.
As part of the Childs Road Upgrade we also renewed the existing 2 lane bridge while adding a purpose-built 2 lane crossing to improve traffic flow. The new 33-metre bridge opened to traffic, pedestrians and cyclists in March 2022, with 1 lane operating each way while vital work started to rejuvenate the existing 37-year-old bridge, making room for an improved shared pedestrian and cycling path.
In addition to the new crossing, by late-2022 cyclists and pedestrians will benefit from upgraded paths along the Darebin Creek, with landscaping work and indigenous artwork as part of a new rest area to be completed later this year.
Moving around Mill Park is also safer and more accessible thanks to a newly installed set of traffic lights at the intersection of Childs Road and Bowman Drive. The new traffic lights switched on in mid-2022 are providing more reliable travel times and helping get more people to where they want to be safely.
With an upgrade of Plenty Road Upgrade complete, works ramping up on the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade and major construction starting next year on the Epping Road Upgrade, Melbourne’s north is well on the way to enjoying better roads capacity and reduced travel times.
The Childs Road Upgrade is on track for completion in 2023.