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Calder upgrade to improve traffic flow and safety

Work is underway on upgrades to the Calder Freeway to improve safety and reduce road congestion. The $2.2 million project forms

Work is underway on upgrades to the Calder Freeway to improve safety and reduce road congestion.

The $2.2 million project forms part of the Victorian Government’s Better Roads program.

Minister for Roads and Ports Tim Pallas says the freeway will be expanded to three lanes to improve traffic flow.

The existing emergency stopping lanes and shoulders will be used to create the new lane, with the Government installing more safety measures to compensate, such as reducing the speed limit from 100km to 80km, constructing large stopping bays, erecting extra signage and installing cameras to monitor traffic flow.

“An extra lane will be added [to] the outbound section of the Calder between the Western Ring Road and the Overnewton Road and the inbound section between Green Gully Road and Keilor Park Drive,” Pallas says.

By reducing congestion, Pallas says the freeway, which has long a history of accidents, will slash the number of crashes during peak times.

“This section of the Calder Freeway has a significant history of casualty crashes, with 69 casualty crashes in the past five years, 28 of those involving run-off road and rear end crashes,” Pallas says.

In an effort to reduce run-off fatalities, guard rails will be installed and trees removed.

Pallas says the upgrade reflects the Brumby Government’s commitment to upgrading Victorian roads to reduce transport costs and improve efficiency.

The project adds to the already $5.8 billion the Government has invested in the road network since 1999.

“The Brumby Government is taking action to improve the arterial road network, investing unprecedented levels of spending into road safety improvements,” Pallas says.

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