Construction starts next month on the upgrading of Barwon Heads Road through urban Geelong, bringing with it much needed bike infrastructure improvements.
The Barwon Heads Road Upgrade will add new lanes for approximately four kilometres between Settlement Road and Reserve Road, remove a dangerous level crossing at Marshall, and upgrade intersections at Settlement Road and Breakwater Road.
New traffic signals will also be constructed at Crows Road, Barwarre Road, Marshalltown Road and Reserve Road.
As part of the upgrade an off-road shared use pedestrian and cycling path will also be built, improving safety for vulnerable road users and allowing better connections to the Waurn Ponds Trail, the South Barwon Reserve, Belmont Common and the Barwon River Precinct..
The project will be delivered concurrently through a trio of construction partners—Decmil, BMD Constructions and BildGroup will build the project in partnership with Major Road Projects Victoria.
The project is being co-funded between the Commonwealth and Victoria Governments
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the upgrade would improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on Barwon Heads Road – a crucial arterial link between Geelong, the Bellarine and the growing Armstrong Creek residential precinct.
“By boosting capacity and removing a key traffic bottleneck, this upgrade will ensure the thousands of people who rely on Barwon Heads Road every day get to where they need to go sooner and safer,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the upgrade would provide better connections to active and public transport modes and ensure Barwon Heads Road could cater for the up to 44,000 daily journeys expected on the road by 2031.
“Greater Geelong has the largest population growth in regional Victoria, which is why we’re taking action to deliver not only this much-needed upgrade but a suite of Big Build projects in the region to provide better journeys for the people who live and work here,” Ms Allan said.
"The Barwon Heads Road Upgrade is being delivered through a new partnership approach to road building contracts, that means major projects move from paper to pavement sooner and more easily, MROPV said.
"This approach was supported by the Australian Government’s fast-tracking of the assessment and approval phases, to support the release of funding for this important project.”
See more about this project here
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