A more than $415 million road upgrade project is set to complete ahead of schedule, cutting congestion and improving road safety in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
The third and final package of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade will be completed by mid-2026, with works to duplicate Racecourse Road tracking ahead of schedule.
The milestone will mark the early completion of more than $1 billion worth of major projects across Pakenham including the removal of three level crossings, the new Pakenham East Station and the Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road Upgrade.
Early completion of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade will have a significant impact on Pakenham’s rapidly growing population – easing congestion, improving road safety and making the area a more attractive place to live and work.
This transport infrastructure overhaul will get Pakenham moving more freely by upgrading the key arterial connection to the Princes Freeway, while also providing direct and convenient access to the new Pakenham Community Hospital opening next year.
Crews are hard at work transforming the Racecourse Road and Bald Hill Road intersection, with the western half currently under construction.
Cars are already travelling on the new lanes of Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road, while the old road is upgraded behind barriers.
In late September crews will start installing new, larger pipes in Pakenham Creek to replace the existing ones under Racecourse Road – reducing flooding risk on the new road and for nearby residents.
In October, the western side of the Bald Hill Road intersection will open, with crews set to begin upgrades on the eastern side.
This project has already had a significant impact on Pakenham’s transportation network, with upgrades to the Princes Freeway and the freeway interchanges at McGregor Road and Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road recently completed ahead of schedule.
Acting Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Murray Watt, said, “The Federal Government is proud to have fully-funded this over $400 million project, which is already delivering benefits for Pakenham’s road users and will make travel even smoother once works wrap up.”
Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Gabrielle Williams, said “We’re getting on with delivering the biggest transport upgrades Pakenham has ever seen – easing congestion, improving safety and making it easier for locals to get where they need to go, sooner.”
