Green light for $500m to turn the Monash into a 10-lane mega highway

Half a billion dollars in federal money has been unlocked to turn the Monash Freeway into a 10-lane mega highway.

The national independent infrastructure advisor, Infrastructure Australia, has given the Commonwealth government the green light to invest $500 million for Stage 2 of the Monash Freeway upgrade, warning that continued delays on the road will cost the economy, on average, $180 million a year.

The federal money will make up most of the funding for the $711 million upgrades, with the Victorian government to pay for the rest.

The highway will be expanded from eight to ten lanes between Warrigal Road and Eastlink, and from four to six lanes between Clyde and Cardinia Roads.

Infrastructure Australia approved the business case for the roadworks, which shows the project has a predicted return to taxpayers of $4.60 for every $1 spent.

The federal money for the road was promised in 2016, but the contribution hinged on Infrastructure Australia’s assessment of the project’s business case.

Infrastructure Australia’s chief executive Philip Davies said that without the upgrades, the Monash would face slower and less reliable trip times.

“In our view, now is the time to get on with it,” said Mr Davies.

“We’ve got this increase in traffic, this risk of congestion, which makes people’s journeys less reliable which impacts their quality of life.

“It’s also impacting on the reliability of the delivery of freight, which costs the economy big time.”

Construction works for the extra 36 kilometres of lanes will start mid next year, and is set to finish by 2022.

It is set to deliver $1.9 billion in net benefits to the economy (in 2017 dollars) after costs of the project are taken into account, according to Infrastructure Australia’s project evaluation summary, released on Wednesday.

The upgrades are in part designed to relieve bottlenecks on arterial roads intersecting with the Monash and Princes Freeways.

They include extending a new duplicated O’Shea Road in Berwick to the freeway and upgrading the Beaconsfield Interchange.

Jacksons Road will also link directly with Eastlink via a new separated road, while overhead electronic signs managing speed and lane use will be installed on the Monash between South Gippsland Freeway and Beaconsfield.

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities Paul Fletcher said Infrastructure Australia’s assessment proved the project was good value for money and vital for the city.

“Motorists make more than 470,000 trips on this corridor each day and that’s why the Turnbull Government is investing $500 million in this vital project – to help ensure those trips become quicker and easier for Melburnians,” Mr Fletcher said.

A Victorian government spokesman said the upgrade would slash nine minutes off a peak hour trip between Pakenham and the city.

“We’re working with the Commonwealth to get on and deliver Stage 2 of the Monash Freeway Upgrade and will release the business case soon,” they said.

In May, an extra lane opened each way between EastLink and Clyde Road in Berwick under the first stage of works – a $400 million project delivered by Fulton Hogan.

The two stages of upgrades on the Monash cost $1 billion, with the money split evenly between the state and federal governments.

Source: The Age