Consultation - Stage 1 - Victoria’s Big Build

The Pakenham Roads Upgrade will be delivered in 3 stages, with upgrades to the Princes Freeway being the first to get under way followed by upgrades to McGregor and Racecourse roads.

Project benefits

Reducing bottlenecks and improving traffic flow

Safer outcomes for all road users

Better connections to and from the Princes Freeway

More walking and cycling options

Community and business consultation summary

Between 22 August and 18 September 2022, we asked for feedback to help inform our planning and shape the development of design options for Stage 1 of the upgrade. Community members and local businesses told us how they currently use the Princes Freeway and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road in Pakenham, what their views are on access, efficiency, safety, and what’s important in the local area.

We thank everyone who took the time to provide feedback.

462

online surveys completed

65K

people reached by social media advertising

93%

of community respondents support the potential upgrade

90%

of survey respondents live in Pakenham

14K

views of the Engage Victoria web page

140

community pop-up attendees

What we heard

These quotes from survey and interactive map feedback, highlight common themes expressed by respondents. Click on the section below to view the quotes.

Quotes from the community

“I'm really happy to hear this work is being planned and I hope it goes ahead.”

“There is an urgent need for the duplication of the outbound off ramp lane at McGregor Road. The single lane is causing dangerous traffic build up on freeway in afternoon peak.”

“The Bald Hill / Racecourse Road roundabout should be replaced with a set of traffic lights as it’s dangerous and creates a rather large amount of traffic in peak periods.”

“It would be great to improve the area visually with some indigenous features. Good maintenance and cleanliness is important. Planting of native flora would be ideal.”

“Many people, including myself, actively avoid McGregor and Racecourse roads during busier periods due to the congestion and delays.”

“Make the area feel like a natural part of the environment not a scar on the earth. More greenery and trees.”

“It’s great to see there’s work being done in Pakenham but would like to see the potholes being taken care of on our other roads.”

“As much connection as possible between both sides of the freeway. With the commercial and residential growth on the southern side of the freeway, there must be access for pedestrians and cyclists.”

“As the community grows, it will become more sensible to have multiple entry and exit points, reducing traffic congestion and wait times.”

Key themes

Community survey

88% of respondents live in the area and 21% work in the area
English is the preferred language of survey respondents (96%)
most respondents drive through the area everyday (83%), most often in the afternoon between 2pm and 5pm (74%). Cars are the primary form of transport (94%) followed by bicycles (1%) and public transport (1%)
93% of respondents had concerns when travelling through the project area. Dangerous driver behaviour (15%), lack of walking/ cycling/trail connections (14%), lack of public transport (13%), and congestion (12%) are the top concerns for respondents
66% of respondents agree that high impact, short term disruptions are preferable to low impact long term disruptions
more than 50% of respondents suggested that native plants and vegetation be used in the project’s landscaping
when asked to rate the current walking and cycling paths and connections in the area, 44% of respondents found them to be poor while 38% found them to be at least fair
when asked about what more they’d like to see with path and trail connections in the area, respondents identified walking paths (38%) to be the main point of focus.

Business survey

89% support the upgrade
95% believe the upgrades would improve their business operations
68% would prefer high impact, short term disruptions.

Interactive map and Q&A tool

Respondents who interacted with our map and Q&A tool highlighted the below:

number of potholes in the area
current and future levels of traffic and congestion in the area
duplication of roads in the area including Racecourse, Bald Hill and McGregor roads
level of noise during and post construction
addition of new ramps and upgrade of existing ramps at the McGregor Road interchange
levels of disruption during construction and how access and connectivity in the area will be affected

What's next

Feedback is being used to inform the project’s detailed designs as well as planning for how we build the upgrade. Early works and investigations are currently being carried out. We’ll reach out to the community again in 2023 for feedback regarding stages 2 and 3 of the upgrade.

Planning timeline

Stage 1 Business and Community Consultation Summary (PDF, 991.2KB)