Work will soon start to upgrade two sections of Murradoc Road, a key east-west link across the Bellarine Peninsula between St Leonards and Drysdale.
The road, like most on the Bellarine Peninsula, is an old-fashioned highway-style road with no provision for those moving under human power.
Yet the peninsula was once – and can be again – an attractive place for bike commuting and recreational riding, even as motor traffic volumes increase.
During peak periods, Murradoc Road between Drysdale and St Leonards experiences increasingly heavy volumes of local and tourist traffic.
In turn, the growing traffic volumes increase the likelihood of crashes and reduce the level of safety for cyclists sharing the road.
The road also connects via the Esplanade to Indented Head and Port Arlington, where the ferry brings bike riders across from Melbourne to the unfriendly roads of the Bellarine.
This latest upgrade is funded under the Australian Government’s Investment Road and Rail Program, which includes a range of traffic and transport initiatives "to make the Bellarine Peninsula cyclist friendly and connected, while reducing congestion”.
Works are expected to take up to eight months to complete, weather permitting.
The upgrade includes:
- drainage works
- widening the road shoulders on both sides of the road
- new pavement
- new line marking, and
- installation of signs, guideposts and barriers.
The benefits include:
- improved road safety for all road users
- reduced congestion and interactions between cyclists and vehicles
- minimised risk of cyclist and car crashes and run-off-road crashes, and
- increased cycling use and appeal of the Bellarine Peninsula area as a cycling friendly location.
The project involves upgrading a 1.5km section between Becks Road and Portarlington-Queenscliff Road near Drysdale, and a 3km section between Bluff Road and McLeod Street in St Leonards.
Riders should be aware that crews will be on site between 7am and 6pm, with the possibility of weekend and nightworks. Traffic management will include lane closures and reduced speed limits to protect the safety of crews and road users.
Traffic controllers will guide traffic through the site one lane at a time. Temporary traffic lights will manage traffic at other times.
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