VIC: Western Freeway upgrade(s)

[Brad Cameron]

VicRoads have announced (as with most major and general roadworks over summer), that the Western Freeway will be upgraded in it's urban limits fringe.
The Mount Cottrell Rd & Paynes Rd (at-grade) turn-offs will be transformed into a left-hand turn only and design it to look more like an entry ramp.

It will make this section more safe and in-line with the rest of the 100km+ freeway to Ballarat, with such a high freight trafficked through and interstate drivers. It is a very old road (that decades who use to only be a 2 lane single carriageway highway) and needs urgent attention IMO.

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/road-worker-safety/summer-road-works

https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/newsmedia/2014/full-inbound-closures-on-the-western-freeway-from-ferris-road-to-hopkins-road-rockbank

[MisterMarcus]

They're not upgrading the at-grade intersections at Rockbank township, though? I'd have thought they would be higher priorities in terms of accidents and safety (and convenience).

Troups Road could do with east-facing entry and exit ramps, at least. 

[Brad Cameron]

They are though? VicRoads contractors are re-constructing the two at-grade interchanges to make them dafter, by making a sort of 'ramp' so you can only enter/exit via the left.

I'd assume it's similar to the Calder Park Dve turn-off on the Calder Fwy (outbound)? [Look at Google Maps Street View there and see...]

:)

[Peter Freeman]

So it's not a 'LILO' (left-in-left-out) with no median gap? There will still be a gap, and vehicles driving across a through-lane? Access to and from city-bound direction only? Very shabby. There still remain property accesses and other median gaps on this disappointing section of near-freeway. However, for a main route, and a near-freeway, the traffic volumes are quite low once past Caroline Springs etc.

Where are the plans - since VicRoads' website re-vamp I find it very hard to find things :(

[Brad Cameron]

Essentially, Southern freeway entry - you can only head outbound. Northern freeway entry a you can only head inbound.

To head in the opposite carriageways, drivers will have to use local roads through Rockbank / Truganina, to access the freeway via Ferris Rd (Melton Hwy), Leakes Rd, Troups Rd or Hopkins Rd graded interchanges,

The only difference with the two freeway intersection upgrades, is you can't cross the median strip and they will block access. Also making a 'curve' (ramp) to enforce this. Hence, outbound / inbound.

VicRoads originally published a 'news' article but it has gone. Couldn't find it in Melbourne (freeway) projects (where it should be), but the two links are relevant and provide some info?

Btw, I also dislike the upgraded website - with it's simplicity and lack of former features. (e.g.) Projects are now all as 'Melbourne' or 'regional' and not separated into the class of road/type. Many old headings and topics have been morphed into bigger folders.

However, most old stuff and features with the individual 'pages' are just under new buttons on the home page menu :/

[Peter Freeman]

OK, that doesn't sound too bad. I can accept LILOs, as a second tier of (often substandard) intersections on a freeway. They're a pragmatic compromise. Also any ramp shaping or barriers to enforce compliance are OK. Median gaps I can't agree with. I'll take a drive out there and look sometime. Has any work started yet?  

[MisterMarcus]

Drove through there last weekend. They've basically just closed off the two intersections with barriers like the Calder intersections. I didn't notice any "ramp" in place, it's basically just the same intersection with right turns banned.

But they didn't close the right turn to Rockbank Nursery or any of the right turns in Rockbank township itself, which I'd have thought would be higher priority in terms of traffic movements. How hard would it be to also make Troups Road LILO and build a service road for local Rockbank traffic directing them to the Leakes Road overpass? Seems weird to me. 

How much does an interchange cost? All these piecemeal "low cost" improvements on the Western, Calder, and Hume....at some point surely you have to bite the bullet and convert to full freeway conditions?

[Nihat]

i agree. at least through these intersections the limit stays at 100 i think. it drops to 80 as it goes through the eastern end of ballarat through the at grade intersections of Old Melbourne Rd and Brewery Tap Road. this is one intersection that will need to be grade seperated.

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[Peter Freeman]

I drove through these yesterday too. I was expecting to see properly-constructed LILOs, with shaped deceleration lanes, median kerbs, etc. But it's just two fences at each intersection to prevent entry to the median. Although I'm disappointed, it is a pragmatic and responsible action since it has been stated that these two points will have grade-separated junctions eventually. Presumably this is why no service road construction will occur.in the interim, though I would like to see Troups Road get a similar median closure. By the way, GSJ's are expensive, and there are more pressing safety and capacity issues in Melbourne that require the funds.

[Peter Freeman]

There was a planning study and a consultation process a few years ago regarding that whole stretch of non-freeway at the M8's first Ballarat exit. Full freeway conversion has been planned and agreed in some detail, reservations protected,and the plan was published as a paper by VicRoads. I imagine the priority is low, since the intersections are not performing badly at current traffic levels. Once again - priorities.

[Nihat]

just on this issue. i recently did a run on the hume and they have installed an 80 limit on 2 sections of the freeway where at grade intersections occur.

the first is at kalkallo for southbound motorists but the more frustrating one is at wodonga through a single 4 way intersection. though for this one the limit only applies 7am-7pm it is still a ridiculous situation where you have been travelling at 110 until you approach this. vicroads surely must upgrade these sections to remove this farce. 

[Peter Freeman]

I think it's a disgrace that the Kalkallo at-grade intersection, on a busy part of our most important inter-city freeway, has been left so long and is still not funded. Plans are ready and no overhead structure is required, unlike Donnybrook just south which did finally get fixed and included a bridge. There are regular near-misses at Kalkallo, so the 80k limit is warranted. I assume the Wodonga one must also be busy if they've limited it, since many minor at-grades still exist on the Hume and are left as 110k. On a run up the Hume, which is a long journey, I reckon the delay owing to a brief section of 80k is negligible. 

[Mark Sanders]

On Sunday, April 5, 2015 at 9:12:35 PM UTC+10, Peter Freeman wrote:

I think it's a disgrace that the Kalkallo at-grade intersection, on a busy part of our most important inter-city freeway, has been left so long and is still not funded. Plans are ready and no overhead structure is required, unlike Donnybrook just south which did finally get fixed and included a bridge. There are regular near-misses at Kalkallo, so the 80k limit is warranted. I assume the Wodonga one must also be busy if they've limited it, since many minor at-grades still exist on the Hume and are left as 110k. On a run up the Hume, which is a long journey, I reckon the delay owing to a brief section of 80k is negligible. 

In regards to Wodonga the 80k limit was put there due to a recent spate of accidents at this site, where traffic entering the freeway hasn't given way to traffic already on the freeway, including a fatality late last year. This section of freeway is very busy, particularly at peak times, as it carries a lot of commuter traffic between Albury/Wodonga, the Logic Centre and even as far as Wangaratta, plus in recent years McKoy St (one of the intersecting streets) has been seeing quite a bit of commercial development take place as Wodonga expands westwards, generating more traffic. This would be (apart from perhaps Avenel) the busiest at-grade intersection on the Hume in Victoria