THE next step has been taken in the construction of the Mordialloc Freeway, with the McConnell Dowell/Decmil Joint Venture chosen as preferred tenderer for the project.
The planned nine kilometre road will link the Mornington Peninsula Freeway to the Dingley Bypass, and is estimated to cost around $375 million to construct.
Mordialloc MP Tim Richardson said “we’re now a step a closer on this vital project for our community that will get trucks off local roads and make a smoother and safer journey for everyone.”
Transport infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan said “the Mordialloc Freeway will slash travel times for drivers in the south east and create hundreds of jobs.”
“Several environmental design improvements have already been implemented because of EES investigations, including new and expanded noise walls, wildlife underpasses, fauna fencing and twin bridge structures over the Waterways wetlands,” she said.
A consultation period has recently been held to determine the environmental impact of the proposed road. There has been some opposition to the road, including from the Residents against Mordialloc Freeway Group who made an oral presentation during the consultation period (“Mordialloc freeway objectors make voices heard,” The News, 13/2/19). Results of the consultation period will be assessed by an independent panel in the coming months.
Kingston Council voted on 25 February to “engage with businesses on the Woodlands Industrial Estate to ascertain the possible harmful effects of the Mordialloc Freeway as currently designed on their businesses, and ensure that their concerns about the closure of Woodlands Drive receive appropriate representation and advocacy from Council officers and legal representatives, and if possible reverse the decision to close Woodlands Drive.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 6 March 2019
