POINT Cook residents will be able to access the Princes Freeway from Sneydes Road within 18 months.
Planning Minister Matthew Guy announced last Thursday 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 included $32.6 million set aside in yesterday’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 upgrades to Sneydes Road as part of the freeway interchange, which Mr Guy said would provide “unprecedented access to the freeway” and connect Point Cook with the employment precinct.
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“We know we have to put in place infrastructure now to alleviate some of the infrastructure problems,” Mr Guy said. “East Werribee is earmarked as a major employment [area], already home to key medical, educational and agricultural facilities.”
He 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 by the Weekly, the council wrote to the Growth Areas Authority and 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 2018 and 2025.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury said the interchange would make it easier for Point Cook residents to connect with the rest of Wyndham.
The government has also pledged $9.6 million to realign Hoppers Lane with the Princes Freeway and $3.1 million on the second stage of environmental site assessments at the employment precinct.
