Overview

Planning is progressing for the Watson Street Interchange Upgrade at the Hume Freeway in Wallan, which will add an outbound exit ramp and an inbound entry ramp.

The upgrade aims to:

• provide direct access off the freeway for traffic travelling northbound and on the freeway for southbound traffic
• cater for population growth and increased vehicle movements
• reduce congestion and improve travel times
• improve road safety.

Planning progress

Initial planning work completed includes traffic modelling, social studies and initial environmental investigations. These have helped us to understand environmental and social impacts, develop design options, and confirm scope and costs of different options.

Options investigated included:

• adding an outbound exit ramp at Watson Street and the Hume Freeway
• adding an inbound entry ramp at Watson Street and the Hume Freeway
• upgrades to Watson Street to improve capacity and safety.

A business case has been completed, which examined the interchange upgrade in detail to recommend a design and identify the best delivery approach.

Community and business feedback

From 17 July to 6 August 2023, we asked for community and business feedback via Engage Victoria to help inform our planning for upgrades to the Watson Street Interchange. Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback.

Feedback has helped us understand how people currently use the interchange and Watson Street as well as their views on safety, traffic flow and what we should consider in our planning. We also heard how businesses operate and use the road network.

Feedback highlighted strong support for an upgrade to the interchange to reduce travel times, boost road capacity and make it easier and safer to walk and cycle in the area. 98% of community respondents support an upgrade of the Watson Street Interchange and improvements to Watson Street.

For more information on what we heard, view the Community and Business Consultation Summary (PDF, 490.9 KB).

Next steps

Planning work is continuing as the upgrade moves towards construction. Key activities include:

• Detailed environmental investigations to further understand flora and fauna which might be impacted by the upgrade.
• Refining the upgrade’s design and developing appropriate plans to reduce and mitigate any impacts on the environment.
• Preparing a Cultural Heritage Management Plan to outline measures to ensure Aboriginal cultural heritage is recognised and safeguarded.
• On-site investigations including identifying underground utilities, testing ground conditions, drainage and flood modelling.
• Appointing a construction partner.

Construction timelines will be known once our planning has progressed further.

Factsheets