Drivers can expect a smoother run along Tarneit Road next year thanks to a $4.5 million upgrade by Wyndham council.
The council will improve the Tarneit and Hogans Road intersection and duplicate Tarneit Road to the north, with works scheduled to begin in the second half of this year.
Transport portfolio-holder Glenn Goodfellow said Tarneit Road currently had two lanes, north and south, but the road dropped to a single lane on either side between Hogans and Bethany roads, which created a bottleneck in traffic flow.
Cr Goodfellow said the roadworks would take about 12 months and remove the bottleneck, alleviating congestion along this section of Tarneit Road.
“Traffic congestion has long been a problem in this section,” Cr Goodfellow said.
“There has been a dire need to upgrade the road in order to alleviate congestion. This will now make Tarneit Road that much safer and alleviate the bottleneck between Hogans Road and Good News Lutheran College.”
The project is being funded by the council through its Get Wyndham Moving campaign.
The first part of the project involves removing 65 trees and shrubs to make way for the extra lanes, but Cr Goodfellow said the council would “repurpose” the trees in other parts of the city.
“Potential opportunities include using the trees to provide habitat for local fauna and to provide nature-play opportunities in local parks, which is in keeping with our vision for a sustainable community.
“It’s a win, not only for our road users but also for the habitat.”
Meanwhile, the council has also installed 13 bicycle hoops, which will accommodate parking for 26 bikes at Williams Landing train station.
The hoops are under the pedestrian bridge along Wallace Avenue at Point Cook.
