Traffic has started crossing a new bridge over Plenty River in Doreen, as part of a major milestone on the Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.
Crews opened 1 lane in each direction this week, providing a huge boost for the upgrade’s aim of helping travellers get home sooner and safer.
The milestone marks a big step toward the opening of all 4 lanes on the 68-metre bridge, which is expected to happen later in 2024.
Once fully open, the new bridge will remove a notorious bottleneck at the existing 2 lane bluestone bridge, which will be repurposed as a dedicated walking and cycling path. The new bridge, between Mernda and Doreen will ease congestion and improve safety for around 17,000 motorists and 1500 heavy vehicles that travel along busy Bridge Inn Road daily.
Combined, the new and repurposed bridges will improve access to Mernda’s railway station and town centre and provide a new, safer shared-use corridor for walkers and cyclists.
In another major milestone for the upgrade, crews have also moved traffic onto the new westbound lanes on Bridge Inn Road between Plenty River and Bassets Road. With 1 lane open in each direction, crews have started upgrading the existing eastbound lanes along this section of the road.
These and other traffic arrangements will be in place throughout 2024. Access will be maintained for emergency services in the area, including Doreen CFA.
The Bridge Inn Road Upgrade is adding extra lanes in both directions between Plenty and Yan Yean roads. Other improvements include upgrades to key intersections and the construction of safety barriers and shared walking and cycling paths to improve safety and connectivity.
For more information about the upgrade, view Bridge Inn Road Upgrade.