Four construction companies have been shortlisted for the $110 million upgrade of the Chandler Highway in Melbourne, which will remove two major bottlenecks that were nominated in RACV’s Redspot survey as having the third worst traffic congestion in Victoria.
The Victorian Government has shortlisted BMD, CPB Contractors, Laing O’Rourke and Seymour Whyte to submit tenders for the upgrade with the selected contractor expected to be announced before the end of 2016.
Each of the shortlisted companies demonstrated innovative design and an understanding of the specific needs of the project, and will refine their design over coming months.
44,000 motorists will benefit from the upgrade, which will widen the highway to six lanes and construct a new bridge over the Yarra River.
Victorian Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan, said, “Motorists will be able to spend more time at home with their families with a travel time saving of eight minutes during the AM peak and 13 minutes during the PM peak.
“We’re fixing the bottlenecks along the Chandler Highway which was recently nominated the third worst spot for traffic congestion in Victoria, in RACV’s annual Redspot survey.”
The intersection at Heidelberg Rd will be upgraded and safety will be boosted by installing traffic lights at Yarra Boulevard.
Victorian Member for Northcote, Fiona Richardson, said, “The upgrade will improve the bumper-to-bumper conditions at bottlenecks along the Chandler Highway.
“We’re making it easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists to get around by creating new links and separating paths from general traffic.”
The historic 125-year-old Chandler Highway Bridge will be converted to a shared user path for cyclists and pedestrians, while cyclists will also be able to cross the highway via a new underpass near Yarra Boulevard.
Construction will commence in early 2017 and be completed in mid-2018.
