The Calder Action Group has echoed calls for an overpass at the “high-risk” intersection of Calder Park Drive and Calder Freeway.
Group president Ian Sutherland is backing a petition, started by local federal Labor MPs, calling for federal funding for the overpass.
Mr Sutherland said traffic congestion and safety issues would be solved if the state and federal governments started work on an overpass that had been campaigned for at least a decade.
He said an 80km/h speed restriction on most of the Calder Freeway section had been recently removed and replaced with a 100km/h limit.
“But the section around Calder Park Drive and the racecourse is still risky enough for VicRoads to require a lower speed limit.
“When there’s a big event happening at the racecourse, it can be hair-raising for drivers.”
With population growth and the emergence of new suburbs, an overpass at the busy intersection should be on the list of priorities for the federal government, Mr Sutherland said.
“This is a strong local issue that goes as far as Bendigo and as [far] back as 10 years.”
He said that while he was “terribly grateful” for the federal Labor Opposition’s support, he was disappointed the party hadn’t made a financial commitment to the overpass going into an election.
Gorton Labor MP Brendan O’Connor, who initiated the petition, said an overpass would “enormously” advantage his electorate, improving the “capacity and safety of the road”.
“We call on the Abbott/Turnbull Liberal government to take a more proactive approach to the residential and employment growth in Melbourne’s west by investing in suitable road infrastructure, such as the Calder Park Drive overpass,” Mr O’Connor said.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Darren Chester said the federal government contributed money towards upgrades along the Calder Freeway, but the overpass was a matter for the state.
“The planning, development and prioritisation of projects, such as this, is the responsibility of the Victorian government,” Mr Chester said.
“To date, the project has not been prioritised by the Victorian government for funding consideration by the Australian government.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
Click here to sign the petition.
