THE first stage of the Thompsons Rd upgrade has been started.
The $175 million works will replace the level crossing on the Cranbourne rail line at Lyndhurst with a six-lane bridge, and the roadway from Marriott Blvd to the South Gippsland Highway will be duplicated.
New paths and improved lighting will aid pedestrians and cyclists in connecting to and from Merinda Park train station.
Between Dandenong-Frankston Rd and Berwick-Cranbourne (Clyde) Rd 156 accidents have been reported in the five years to 30 June 2015 – with 45 of them resulting in serious injury.
“We are putting people first by working to create a safer, more efficient roadway that will reduce the present congestion on Thompsons Rd,” Carrum MP Sonya Kilkenny said.
The shortlisted applicant for the delivery stage of the upgrade will soon be invited to tender. This work includes widening Thompsons Rd from Dandenong-Frankston Rd to Marriott Blvd and from Narre Warren-Cranbourne Rd to Berwick-Cranbourne Rd.
About 10km of a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians will be built along Thompsons Rd, including 8.2km on the north side, and 1.5km on the south side between Western Port Hwy and Evans Rd.
This first stage of the Thompsons Rd upgrade is expected to be completed by late 2018. The contract for the second stage is expected to be awarded mid-next year, with the whole project to be completed by mid-2019.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 11 January 2017