What’s been happening
In the last few months, we’ve:
- upgraded and reopened the intersection at Baltrum Drive and Epping Road
- completed earthworks and started installing drainage at the intersection of Epping Road, Craigieburn Road East, and Lehmanns Road
- relocated power lines and installed new power poles between Memorial Avenue and Findon Road
- completed gas main works along Epping Road between Findon Road and Hayston Boulevard
- finished new gas main installations at the intersections with Harvest Home Road and Pine Park Drive
- installed new water mains at Hayston Boulevard, Prada Drive, Woodcutters Grove and Castlemaine Lane
- continued to relocate and protect essential underground services including gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications.
Service relocation works
As part of the Epping Road Upgrade we’re relocating and protecting essential underground services including gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications.
Service relocation and protection is an important part of road construction. Before we build your new lanes, we need to dig and move soil and rock using heavy machinery. Relocating underground services ensures we minimise interruptions to these services while we build the upgrade.
We are not always able to relocate all services at the same time due to the complexity of the works, and planning and coordination of service providers and third parties.
On occasion, we may need to temporarily close sections of Epping Road and High Street to connect these services to homes and businesses. Detours will be in place and we’ll let you know ahead of time about any works. Please plan ahead and allow extra time.
Moving services is a complex process and involves careful planning and coordination with service providers and third parties. Their availability can change at short notice due to service outages on the surrounding network and unplanned weather events. This may result in changes to works at short notice.
Our roadside electronic message boards will notify you if there are any changes to the timing of our works.
While we’re completing these vital works, your service provider will contact you regarding any changes to your service.
Fletcher Street intersection upgrade
From Thursday 16 May until mid September, we’ll temporarily close Fletcher Street in both directions at Epping Road so that we can safely upgrade the intersection.
During this time, we’ll build:
- sections of the new southbound lanes on Epping Road
- a new a traffic island
- new turning lanes in and out of Fletcher Street.
Epping Road will remain open in both directions. Access to Fletcher Street from Epping Road will be maintained via Hayston Boulevard.
Delays of up to 5 minutes are expected. We encourage you to plan your journeys and allow extra time when travelling through the area.
Disruptions
Working hours
Most of our works will take place between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday and on Saturdays between 7am and 1pm. Some works may need to occur at night or on weekends to minimise impacts on traffic or utility services. If we need to work at night, we’ll let you know ahead of time.
We’ll move progressively along the road, and a lot of our works will take place behind traffic barriers to minimise disruptions to traffic and ensure the safety of our workers and road users.
Construction impacts
There will be some noise and vibration during construction. Noise and vibration may be generated from moving vehicles, machinery, digging trenches, rock breaking, piling, reversing beepers or generators used to power equipment.
We’ll monitor noise, vibration, light towers and dust levels to ensure these impacts are kept to a minimum, especially at night. We’ll contact ahead residents who are directly affected by works close to their property.
If you’re likely to be affected by these works, we’ll be in touch with you before they start.
Traffic changes
There will be ongoing traffic changes while we build the Epping Road Upgrade. These will include:
- delays on Epping Road and High Street
- temporary holds in traffic
- road, lane and footpath closures and detours
- bike lane closures and detours
- temporary bus stop closures
- speed limit reductions
- temporary parking changes.
We’ll contact you ahead of time if we need to change the way you access your property.
Please observe on-road signage and the directions of our traffic controllers, so we can keep you and our workers safe.
40km/h through construction zones saves lives
The speed limit on Epping Road between Craigieburn Road East and Memorial Avenue has been changed to 40km/h while we build the upgrade, to keep you and our workers safe.
We’ve reduced the speed limit to 40km/h because even when we’re not working there are still risks associated with reduced lane widths, concrete safety barriers and deep excavations behind barriers, all of which are taking place on Epping Road.
When driving near a construction site, there may be humps and drops in the road and soft road surfaces, which may increase risks for drivers. Some of these dangers may be easy to spot during the day, but much harder at night.
Research shows that the fatality rate drops considerably when speeds are reduced from 60km/h to 40km/h. These changes on Epping Road are all about getting you and our workers home safe.
Refer to Frequently Asked Questions about the 40km/h zones.