- Minister for Transport Infrastructure
Drivers travelling across the new Chandler Highway bridge are already enjoying huge improvements in their journeys with travel times slashed by as much as 10 minutes since two new lanes opened last week.
Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said today early indications show some drivers have more than halved travel times on the new bridge since the two new lanes opened on Friday 1 March.
Initial testing suggests a trip from Willsmere Road in Kew to Wingrove Street in Alphington during afternoon peak now takes as little as five minutes, instead of an average 14 minutes before the upgrade.
Travel time has also reduced by almost 50 per cent when travelling in the opposite direction during the afternoon peak, falling from an average of 6 minutes, to an average of 4 minutes.
Equally, early indications show travelling southbound during the morning peak has also resulted in travel time savings, with the average travel time of nearly nine minutes being halved.
The final two lanes of the bridge are due to open today, with travel time savings forecast to improve even further for more than 44,000 motorists who travel over the Chandler Highway bridge every day.
The new bridge was opened to traffic in October 2018 with one lane operating each way while vital work started to rejuvenate the existing 128-year-old heritage bridge to transform it into a shared pedestrian and cycling path.
In addition to the new crossing, by mid-2019 cyclists and pedestrians will benefit from upgraded paths along the Yarra River, with landscaping work to be completed later this year.
The $110 million Chandler Highway Upgrade is due to be complete in late-2019 and is being delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria.
As noted by Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan
“We know how much motorists have been looking forward to the new bridge being completed, and already we’re seeing a significant improvement to travel times.”
“There’s even more good news coming for motorists travelling across the Chandler Highway bridge, with the final two lanes opening to traffic on Friday – and we thank locals for their patience.”
As stated by Member for Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines
“We said we’d get on with this important upgrade to get locals home safer and sooner – and that’s exactly what we’ve done.”
As stated by Member for Northcote Kat Theophanous
“We all know how frustrating it can be to get stuck in traffic on the Chandler Highway – it’s terrific to see travel times improved already since the new lanes have opened.”
