By Jaidyn Kennedy
The next stage of “congestion busting” ring road linking Wyndham Vale and Tarneit is a step closer, following an $85 million funding commitment from the federal government.
On Monday, Lalor MP Joanne Ryan and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced the federal government would provide money for the Wyndham Ring Road (previously known as West Link stage two).
The funding will pave the way works which will expand on the Ison Road overpass by building a new bridge over the Werribee River to connect Armstrong Road and Hobbs Road in Wyndham Vale to Sayers Road in Tarneit.
The funding will also include planning work to investigate the design and cost of upgrades to the intersection of Ballan Road and Armstrong Road in Wyndham Vale, and Ballan Road bridge over the railway line that would create a direct road link from Tarneit to Wyndham Vale and Manor Lakes.
Ms Ryan said the upgrade will future-proof the region by reducing congestion through Wyndham and improving access to the Princes Highway, as well as the employment precincts of Truganina and Laverton North.
“By connecting our growing suburbs, we will ease congestion in Werribee and Hoppers Crossing,” she said.
Wyndham councillor Peter Maynard said the Wyndham Ring Road was a “game-changer” and that the Hobbs Road to Sayers Road connection was a “must”.
The project is part of the federal and state government’s $1.2 billion Victorian road blitz.
State Tarneit MP Dylan Wight said the ring road would “bust congestion on our local roads”.
“Having an alternative connection to the [Princes] freeway means we reduce demand on Ballan Road, Heaths Road and roads through central Werribee, he said.
The federal government has not provided a timeline for the project.
The announcement came on the same day as Ms Ryan pledged $5 million to create a new pavilion at Soldiers Reserve in Werribee.
The complex that hosts the Werribee Districts Football Club as well as the Werribee Junior Cricket Club would receive expanded spaces for sporting events, fitness classes, and community meetings, as well as upgraded change rooms.
