How have you designed the new intersections to make sure that they are suitable for the businesses in the area?
We have designed the Pakenham Road Upgrade to relieve bottlenecks, improve traffic flow and make your journey safer.
To make the road environment safe for all of the community, including pedestrians, drivers and cyclists, we use commonly used vehicle sizes to design the intersections.
For example, the upgraded intersection of Bald Hill Road and Racecourse Road is designed for right and left turns by vehicles up to the size of B-Double trucks (26m).
How will these changes impact my travel time?
When the road upgrade is complete, you may have to travel slightly further to access the new dedicated U-turn bays or traffic lights to u-turn and access your destination. However, your journey will be safer and more reliable.
Traffic lights are programmed to operate based on demand at different times of the day, which will improve overall travel times.
How can I safely exit a business and travel into the right turn lane to do a U-turn?
Breaks in traffic provided by traffic lights further up the road will give drivers time to enter the road from driveways and side roads.
I drive a large vehicle. Where can I U-turn?
Vehicles up to 5.5m long will be able to u-turn at the:
- upgraded Bald Hill Road and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road intersection when travelling to the Princes Highway or the Princes Freeway
- intersection of Racecourse Road and Campbell Street when travelling towards the Princes Freeway
- u-turn bay on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road between Peet Street and the freeway ramps when travelling towards the Princes Freeway.
Larger vehicles will need to use the local road network to turn around and travel to their destination.