Construction work for the first section of the ring road for the ring road around Melbourne, Australia will have to be ahead of schedule. This initial stretch of the $20.4 billion Outer Metropolitan Ring Road was due for completion in 2036 but will have to be ready by 2031 to avoid gridlock for the city. This is the opinion of planners working for the city’s government.
Melbourne has become a victim of its own success as a livable city, with the population in its suburbs expanding fast. The vast increase in vehicle numbers that has arisen due to the population expansion has resulted in increasing congestion levels and this looks set to worsen.
The Outer Metropolitan Ring Road will be 100km-long, linking the M80 in Thomastown with the Princes Freeway in Little River. The whole project is due for completion in 2046.
According to the city authorities, the Outer Metropolitan Ring/E6 reservation will provide new road and rail transport links through the Werribee, Melton, Tullamarine, Craigieburn/Mickleham and Epping/Thomastown areas. The planning for the transport corridor calls for a road with four lanes in either direction plus four railway tracks in the median for interstate freight and high-speed passenger trains between Werribee and Kalkallo. It would feature three lanes in either direction for the rest of its length. This massive project is expected to deliver the substantial boost in transport capacity that Melbourne requires, given its fast growing population.
Meanwhile, in New South Wales, Australia, contractors are being invited to show interest for the $1.47 billion (A$2.24 billion) design and build improvement works for Elizabeth Drive, Mamre Road Stage 2, and Garfield Road East. The bidding will be handled by Transport for New South Wales (NSW).
The project is intended to improve transport in Western Sydney. Construction for the new Western Sydney International (Nancy Bird Walton) Airport should be complete shortly and will boost the need for better transport links.
Roads leading to Sydney's new airport will be upgraded to cope with demand. The $525.7 million (A$800 million) improvement for Elizabeth Drive will see the route being widened to dual carriageway status between Devonshire Road and Western Road, as well as the construction of new junctions for Kemps Creek, Badgerys Creek, Luddenham and Bradfield city.
The link between Erskine Park Road and Kerrs Road is benefiting from the $657 million (A$1 billion) Mamre Road Stage 2 upgrade project. And the link from Piccadilly Street and Windsor Road will be upgraded to a dual carriageway with the $289 million (A$440 million) Garfield Road East project.