By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
TESTING on the Monash Freeway has already started ahead of the road being widened in a $400 million upgrade announced last month.
Geotechnical works on the road’s pavement started on Sunday night (6 December) and are scheduled to continue into next year.
Surveying is also taking place on and off the shoulder of the road at various locations.
Under a proposal from the Andrews Government the freeway will be widened to five lanes running each way between EastLink and the South Gippsland Highway, and three lanes each way further out to Clyde Road.
The project is expected to go to tender in mid-2016, with construction slated to begin in 2017, and expected to be finished the following year.
But testing on the major road is already underway and is expected to continue until late February, stretching from Dandenong North to Berwick.
Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said up to Christmas the testing would be focussed between the EastLink interchange and the South Gippsland Freeway.
He said traffic flow was not expected to be affected.
“We’re not wasting a day to get this project done. It will cut travel times, improve safety and remove frustrating bottlenecks on the Monash,” he said.
“This will mean a more reliable trip to 200,000 drivers a day, with less time stuck in traffic.
“If you’re driving late at night on the Monash please observe the roadworks speed limits, watch out for workers and take extra care.”
In October, it was reported that the Turnbull Government agreed to unlock the $1.5 billion East West Link money allocated to the State Government, provided it would be used on projects like the Monash Freeway.
After the upgrade announcement La Trobe MP Jason Wood questioned why construction wouldn’t start until 2017, claiming the Andrews Government could already access the $1.5 billion in Federal funding.
“The $1.5 billion is already with the State Labor Government, this is totally unacceptable to start work in 2017, I have been told via sources that work could start early next year, especially the traffic management,” he said.
“There is $1.5 billion of Federal funding which, in part, will go towards the project, so only State Labor is holding back with funding.”
