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What’s been happening

New lanes open on McGregor Road

In late September, we completed major works on McGregor Road north of the Princes Freeway. Drivers can now enjoy two lanes open in each direction from the intersection to the Princes Freeway, and more lanes through the intersection with Henry Road and Webster Way, making it faster and easier to get around Pakenham. We’ve also started major works to upgrade the city-bound freeway entry ramp, widening it with an extra lane and restoring the traffic lights on the ramp to manage traffic joining the freeway.

Interchange upgrade continues on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road

In October, we completed major asphalting works on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road as part of upgrading the freeway interchange.

We’re now busier than ever, working to finish the eastern half of the intersection by mid-November.

Early works underway on Racecourse Road

We’ve started works to build new lanes and upgrade the Bald Hill Road roundabout to traffic lights, as part of the third and final stage of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade.

In early October we installed safety barriers to keep crews safe while we relocate water, gas, telecommunication utilities, and power poles and lines to make way for the new lanes and paths we’ll build on Racecourse and Bald Hill roads.

See our latest progress images

What's coming up

For the rest of the year, we’ll work some nights and weekends to finish major works on the Princes Freeway Interchanges Upgrade and the McGregor Road Upgrade north of the freeway.

Now that warmer weather has arrived, we’ll lay the top layer of asphalt on the new road surfaces. The top asphalt layer is designed to provide a smooth ride for drivers. This work is dependent on warm, dry weather and we may have to reschedule our planned closures to suit weather conditions.

To minimise your travel time, keep a look out for on-road signage, see our disruptions information below and sign up to receive updates direct to your inbox or phone.

Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road

Major works on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road are on track to be completed by the end of the year.

Once complete, drivers can enjoy two lanes in each direction along Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road between Southeast Boulevard and Peet Street, travel on both bridges over the Princes Freeway, and enter and exit the freeway via the new traffic light intersections.

To open the new traffic light intersections, we’ll close Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road between Southeast Boulevard and Peet Street, including all freeway ramps:

• overnight on Thursday 7 November, 7pm to 5pm and
• over the weekend from 7pm Friday 8 November to 5am Monday 11 November.

From 5am Monday 11 November, the following will be open:

• the new intersections with traffic lights on either side of the freeway and the new southbound lanes over the old bridge
• the Warragul-bound entry and exit ramps and the city-bound entry ramp
• the exit from Peet Street to Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road.

We’ll finish works over the rest of the week to open the citybound exit ramp.

Some lanes will stay closed until late December while we finish works, including installing safety barriers, on the side of the road. In December, we’ll also lay the top asphalt layer on the new northbound lanes on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road.

McGregor Road

We’ll place the top asphalt layer during overnight works from 10 – 21 November, closing different sections of McGregor Road, Henry Road and Webster Way, and the Princes Freeway ramps at a time.

Princes Freeway

We’ll also place the top asphalt layer on the Princes Freeway between McGregor Road and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road to refresh the existing lanes and complete the extra lanes we’ve built as part of the project.

To carry out these works, we’ll close the Princes Freeway in one direction at a time between McGregor Road and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road over 2 weekends in late November.

Racecourse Road Upgrade

Throughout the rest of 2024, we’ll set up work areas along Racecourse and Bald Hill roads and continue to relocate utility services out of the way of major works to begin in January 2025.

We’ll also set up site compounds on Railway Avenue and Racecourse Road.

To relocate utility services, we’ll need to close sections of Bald Hill Road and Racecourse Road at night.

In addition, there are long-term speed reductions on Racecourse, Bald Hill, and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup roads and some lane and footpath closures during construction.

We’ll do our best to minimise disruptions by working behind barriers, reducing the number of closures needed, and working on the road during off-peak times, wherever possible.

Talk with the team

The project team makes regular appearances at public events and locations in Pakenham so that you and your family can get updates on the project and participate in fun activities to support your local traders and learn about the Big Build program.

For more information on upcoming opportunities to talk with the team, see our Community page.

Current and upcoming disruptions