By ALANA MITCHELSON
CASEY and Cardinia Shire councils have teamed up to lobby for $190 million of federal funding towards the proposed duplication and extension of Thompsons Road.
Their campaign contends that an upgraded and extended Thompsons Road would serve as an alternative east-west thoroughfare to minimise congestion on the Monash Freeway.
The proposal includes an upgrade of the Thompsons Road and Western Port Highway intersection to a grade separated interchange, the duplication of Thompsons Road from Dandenong-Frankston Road to Berwick-Cranbourne Road and the extension of Thompsons Road from Berwick-Cranbourne Road to Cardinia Road with plans for future extension to reach Healesville-Kooweerup Road.
This project would support the National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA)’s Fund Our Future effort, which calls for a dedicated national infrastructure fund in the upcoming Federal Budget to benefit Australia’s most under pressure growth corridors, focusing on roads, public transport and health facilities.
“Investment would provide significant jobs creation, higher tax revenues and a permanent boost to national GDP,” the pre-budget submission said.
“Rural and regional areas have been recognised through dedicated funding, but outer growth area population hotspots have never benefitted from this type of approach.
“Continued underinvestment will be catastrophic personally and for communities and businesses more broadly: increased stress, time wasted in traffic, fewer jobs and social isolation leading to divided communities.”
A recent SGS Economics and Planning analysis showed that an annual investment of about $5 billion over the next 15 years was required to meet the infrastructure needs of the growing population in these areas.
Casey alone is growing by 120 people a week and will be home to 490,000 residents by 2041. It is Victoria’s largest municipality with 300,000 residents. More than 120 people move in each week, with more than 490,000 residents projected by 2041.
City of Casey mayor Sam Aziz said new analysis showed five million Australians – and counting – lack access to adequate roads, public transport and health facilities in the fast-growing suburbs on the outskirts of capital cities.
“Thompsons Road is council’s number one priority on its arterial roads advocacy program for both duplication and intersection upgrades,” he said.
“Most Casey residents are familiar with the notorious roundabout at Western Port Highway/Thompsons Road with vehicles queuing in excess of one kilometre in any of the approach directions during peak times.
“A fully constructed Thompsons Road from Lyndhurst to Officer South would provide a new high capacity east-west freight and logistics corridor.
“With 70 per cent of Casey residents leaving the municipality each day for work, council is working to stimulate investment in this corridor to create local jobs for local people. The extension of Thompsons Road is vital to this, unlocking significant employment land to support the creation of 100,000 jobs in the region.”
For more information or to take part in the campaign, visit www.fundourfuture.info
