Thousands of residents of future homes across greater Sunbury can look forward to better traffic flow on Sunbury Road, with a significant upgrade unlocking 14kms of new lanes in time for the Christmas holiday period – a full year earlier than anticipated.
People in Melbourne’s north-west corridor will get home faster and spend less time stuck in traffic, with the Sunbury Road Upgrade adding 14kms of extra lanes between Powlett Street and Bulla-Diggers Rest/Loemans Road to slash congestion for more than 25,000 daily journeys.
For the first time traffic can flow in both directions - on 2 lanes in each direction on the newly built carriageways over the new Jacksons Creek bridge - since early works began. Building the road to dual lanes travelling in each direction better links current and emerging local communities, services and employment hubs.
Other improvements as part of the upgrade include:
- the construction of a new bridge over Jacksons Creek
- an upgrade of intersections at Francis Boulevard and Lancefield Road with new traffic lights
- shared use paths for cyclists and pedestrians
- new wire rope barriers
- more accessible bus stops and improved street lighting.
The upgrade will also boost the reliability of bus services between Sunbury and Melbourne Airport.
A workforce of more than 400 has been employed on the project since construction began in 2021. Key statistics from the project include:
- almost half a million hours of work
- more than 83,000 tonnes of asphalt laid
- more than 1,5000 indirect jobs
- 23,644 hours worked by apprentices, trainees and cadets
- 20,235 Aboriginal employment hours
- more than 20,000 metres of guardrail and wire rope safety barrier installed
- more than 132,000 tonnes of materials removed.
As crews undertake landscaping and other finishing works along the project in the next few months, there will be some lane closures on Sunbury Road outside peak travel times.
The $1.8 billion Sunbury Line Upgrade also delivered earlier this year, will allow bigger, more modern trains to run on the line when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025. Just over a year ago the dangerous and congested Gap Road level crossing in Sunbury became the fourth to be removed along the Sunbury Line, with the new rail bridge and underpass improving safety and easing congestion in the area.
The 2 projects all combine to help transform the transport network in Sunbury and create better opportunities in one of Melbourne’s fastest growing regions.