By Esther Lauaki
Upgrades to the Western Highway in Melton, starting with an interchange at Bulmans Road, top the agenda with Melton council and politicians in the lead-up to the federal election.
Mayor Bob Turner has flagged the council’s infrastructure wish list in recent weeks and called for “critical upgrades” to the Western Highway between Melton and Caroline Springs.
The council, one of 21 councils in the National Growth Areas Alliance, is getting behind the Catch Up with the Outer Suburbs campaign, which aims for better access to roads, transport, local jobs and community facilities in Victoria’s fast-growing outer suburbs.
Accessing the Western Highway from Coburns Road has long been a bane for Melton commuters because of a bank of traffic from Bulmans Road.
Earlier this year, a petition was organised to support a full diamond interchange at Bulmans Road to help ease congestion.
Cr Turner said the highway upgrade was council’s “number one priority”.
“Melton is one of Australia’s fastest-growing communities,” he said. “In the next 30 years, our population will double to more than 400,000, making Melton as big as Canberra is today.
“The highway can’t cope with this growth and needs urgent upgrades.”
Improvements sought for the highway between Melton and Caroline Springs include removing direct property access, bus stops and central median breaks, a half-diamond interchange at Mt Cottrell Road, a pedestrian overpass bridge at Arnolds Creek and Paynes roads and an interchange at Harkness Road.
Federal Gorton MP Brendan O’Connor and Melton state MP Steve McGhie added their support to the roads revamp calls.
Mr O’Connor said his calls for the improvements over a number of years had been ignored. Both politicians said it would take a concerted effort at all levels of government to get the project moving.
The Catch Up with the Outer Suburbs campaign includes a petition for residents to sign calling for the upgrade to the Western Highway.
Petition: catchup.org.au/melton
