POINT COOK residents will be able to access the Princes Freeway from Sneydes Road within 18 months.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy today announced the state government would invest $72 million into transport and planning infrastructure at Point Cook and East Werribee.
The works will be part of the development of the Werribee Employment Precinct, which was announced by the government last November.
Mr Guy’s pledge includes $32.6 million in Tuesday’s state budget to start works on a full diamond interchange at Sneydes Road, and safety and improvement works on other roads in the area.
The remaining $40 million will be added through land sales.
The government will spend $16.9 million on the freeway interchange, which Mr Guy said would provide ‘‘unprecedented access to the freeway’’ and connect Point Cook with the employment precinct.
‘‘We know we have to put in place infrastructure now to alleviate some of the infrastructure problems,’’ he said.
‘‘East Werribee is earmarked as a major employment [area], already home to key medical, educational and agricultural facilities.’’
Mr Guy said the interchange would be built within 18 months, with geotechnical investigations into the site’s foundations already under way.
Wyndham mayor Heather Marcus said securing a full diamond interchange at Sneydes Road, to address congestion on the city’s roads, had been a main priority.
As reported to the Weekly, the council wrote to the Growth Areas Authority and the government asking for a written promise that the interchange would provide Wyndham with access to Melbourne and Geelong.
The letters were sent after GAA plans indicated the Melbourne ramps would be built between 2012 and 2017, while the Geelong ramps were slated for development between 2018 and 2025.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said the interchange would be a great relief to Point Cook residents.
He said it would make it easier for residents to connect with the rest of Wyndham and access community services.
The government has also pledged $9.6 million to realign Hoppers Lane with the Princes Freeway; $3.1 million on the second stage of environmental site assessments at the employment precinct; $2.5 million to identify ways to develop the precinct for future businesses and jobs; and $500,000 on development options for heritage-listed farm buildings in the area.
