We’re upgrading Racecourse Road, McGregor Road and the Princes Freeway in Pakenham relieving bottlenecks, improving traffic flow, and making your journeys safer and more reliable.

What's been happening

Last month we hit an important milestone on the project, opening 2 newly built northbound lanes on McGregor Road and the upgraded Henry Road intersection. We’re now hard at work behind barriers on the other side of McGregor Road building the new southbound lanes and upgrading the Webster Way intersection.

Since our last update, we’ve also:

• moved traffic onto the newly built lanes on Healesville- Koo Wee Rup Road between Southeast Boulevard and the Princes Freeway
• built a new bus bay on Henry Road, which will open once Webster Way is reopened
• installed safety rails and screens on the new bridge over the freeway
• installed new light poles on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road entry ramp heading towards the city.

In another major milestone, we’ve completed most of the Princes Freeway upgrade between McGregor and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup roads and removed the majority of the temporary barriers on the sides of the freeway. Barriers will remain under the new bridge while we finish works in the area over the coming months.

Upcoming works

Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road

By late August, the new northbound lanes on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road between Southeast Boulevard and Peet Street will be complete. This includes the new bridge over the Princes Freeway and the western half of the new traffic light intersections at the freeway interchange.

We’ll then move traffic to the newly built lanes while we build the new southbound lanes, including the eastern half of the freeway interchange.

From late August, we’ll close the Warragul-bound entry ramp, with the city-bound exit ramp closing in early October.

Both ramps will be closed until November, when we plan to open the new southbound lanes and switch on the traffic lights at the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road freeway interchange.

McGregor Road

We’re continuing to work behind barriers, and plan to open the upgraded southbound lanes and the Webster Way intersection in late September. Until then, McGregor Road will remain closed heading towards the freeway between Webster Way and the Princes Freeway.

Detours for vehicles and pedestrians are in place during our works. Our works are subject to weather. Please visit the our Disruptions page or our Project update page to stay up to date.

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Kicking goals

We’ve had a massive first half of the year on the Pakenham Roads Upgrade.

Hear from our project engineer Jonathan to learn more about how we’re building the new lanes on Healesville- Koo Wee Rup Road.

Other projects in the area

Pakenham level crossing removal project

The level crossings at McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road are gone and the new stations at Pakenham and East Pakenham now open. Finishing works on Pakenham Station and the 6 MCGs worth of open space under the rail bridge will continue until spring.

Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade

Major works on the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade are complete – 18 months ahead of schedule. Drivers are now travelling on a safer road with four lanes separating north/south traffic, upgraded intersections at Livestock Way and Greenhills Road, and roundabouts at Hall and Ballarto roads and south of Deep Creek.

We’ll work until November 2024 to complete minor works including landscaping and switching on the permanent streetlighting.

Temporary speed limits will be in place until the final asphalt layer is placed later in the year. Please visit the our Disruptions page or our Project update page to stay up to date.