By Danielle Kutchel
Community feedback has revealed concerns over the Narre Warren North Road Upgrade.
Major Road Projects Victoria released draft designs for the upgrade in March for community consultation, and has this month published a report featuring the feedback received.
Residents have told the construction authority that they’re concerned about access changes to Crawley and Brundrett roads.
About 90 per cent of feedback referred to this issue, according to the report.
Residents said that Memorial Drive is used as a rat-run, with much of the traffic exiting the road turning left towards Westfield Fountain Gate Shopping Centre.
Brundrett and Cantwell roads were also cited as rat-runs to access Crawley Road, and residents said they expected more traffic using these roads if the right turn from Narre Warren North Road into Crawley Road was removed.
Residents also reported that Narre Warren North Road is the primary access point in and out of Crawley Road.
According to the report, people living on Crawley and Brundrett roads felt that removing the right turn option onto Narre Warren North Road would make getting to Narre Warren North Primary School and the Narre Warren North Village Centre “inconvenient”.
A view was also reported that U-turns will add to congestion on Narre Warren North Road, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up times or event days for the nearby pony club, and potentially lead to accidents.
As alternatives, residents suggested:
– reinstating access to Crawley and Brundrett roads
– moving the traffic lights to Crawley Road to facilitate the greater number of right turn movements
– closing off Memorial Drive to prevent rat-running
building a three-way intersection at Memorial Drive, Crawley Road and Narre Warren North Road with either traffic lights or a roundabout
– synchronising traffic lights along Narre Warren North Road once the upgrade is completed to improve traffic flow.
The project design will be finalised in late 2021.
According to Major Road Projects Victoria, the upgrade will include:
– building an extra lane in each direction between Fox Road and Belgrave-Hallam Road
– adding a dedicated right turn lane from Heatherton Road to Narre Warren North Road northbound
– installing traffic lights at the Memorial Drive intersection
– adding an extra through lane in each direction on Narre Warren North Road at the Ernst Wanke Road intersection and extending the right and left turn lanes
– modifying access to and from Crawley Road
– banning right turns from Brundrett Road.
According to Major Road Projects Victoria the project will also improve active transport options by upgrading existing and building new walking and cycling paths and providing better public transport connections.
Construction is due to start later this year and be completed in 2023.
