WORKS to begin building a Mordialloc bypass got underway this week at the Waterways estate wetlands.
Five boreholes, 35-50 metres deep, are being drilled at possible bridge pier sites to carry out geotechnical studies into potential impacts on the environmentally-sensitive wetlands.
The sudden commencement of geotechnical works, mere weeks after the Labor state government announced $300 million in funding in the 2 May state budget to build the arterial road, saw politicians don hard hats and fluoro vests for coverage by Melbourne TV news crews.
A large pontoon, from which drilling is taking place, was lifted into the wetlands by a crane. The proposed 9-kilometre Mordialloc bypass will link the Mornington Peninsula Freeway in Aspendale Gardens to the Dingley Bypass.
The government advised that VicRoads will conduct “ecological investigations to minimise potential impacts to the wetlands and the habitats”.
“These geotechnical investigations are an important step in the planning process before building the bypass, which will slash congestion and take trucks off local roads,” Victorian Roads and Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan said.
The government says the bypass is aimed at easing congestion during peak traffic times.
A community group Residents Against Mordialloc Freeway (RAMF) wants the government to “release data and evidence” that proves the Mordialloc bypass will alleviate traffic snarls rather than being an “environmentally devastating bottleneck”.
A change.org online petition by the group states: “A proposed freeway will run straight through the Aspendale Gardens and Waterways slice of wetlands and amazing habitat along the western side of Melbourne’s most prized natural reserve, Braeside Park.
“The proposed freeway will not only impact on the animals that live here but [also] the reason why so many frequent this area, for peace, silence and a feel of retreating back to nature.”
Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson welcomed the plan to build the bypass.
“We’re getting on with building the infrastructure that people living in Melbourne’s south east need.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 24 May 2017
