KEILOR residents hope a six-lane ‘super road’ aimed at easing congestion caused by Melbourne Airport’s third runaway will be the answer to a traffic “nightmare” on Keilor Park Drive.
Melbourne Airport last week announced plans for an $80 million extension of Airport Drive, giving travellers from the west a direct link to the airport via the Western Ring Road and easing congestion on the Tullamarine Freeway.
The expansion will include a 3.7-kilometre extension of Airport Drive from Sharps Road to Mercer Drive. It is expected to halve the number of vehicles on Keilor Park Drive and decrease the amount of traffic on Melrose Drive by 5 per cent. Expected to take 21 months, the works will include a shared pedestrian and cycling path.
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Keilor Ratepayers Association president Susan Jennison said peak-hour traffic had been a nightmare for 10 years.
“It’s a huge investment and there are a lot of planning divisions involved in a project this great,” she said.
“But I think it needs to come into fruition if this third runaway is to go ahead . . . there will be millions of extra passengers on planes and these people have to use our roads to get to the airport so major adjustments need to be made.”
Calder Park Action Group vice-president Ian Sutherland said while he didn’t think the proposed plans would directly affect the Calder Park Drive end of Keilor, he was hopeful it would limit traffic flow. “If these plans can somehow reduce traffic flow on the Calder and Tullamarine freeways it would greatly benefit not only the running of traffic but the safety of drivers in the region.”
Airport spokeswoman Anna Gillett said the project was part of a $1 billion upgrade to improve terminals and the road network to the airport.
She said construction could start as early as next year.
