Liam McNally
As the state election campaign nears its end, Melton council’s Fix Our Roads campaign has resulted in promises from the major parties.
Earlier this year, council launched ‘Fix Our Roads’ to secure funding commitments from federal and state parties to upgrade the Western Highway, Melton Highway, Christies Road, Hopkins Road, Calder Park interchange and the Robinsons Road, Westwood Drive and Calder Park Drive corridor.
The City of Melton community backed council’s campaign, with more than 5400 people signing a petition, and responded on social media by echoing calls for better and safer roads.
The issue also took centre stage at a transport forum in the Kororoit electorate and candidate forums in the Melton electorate.
Shortly after the campaign launch in April this year, federL Labor committed $10 million towards a business case for upgrading the Western Highway and the Victorian Government announced $14.9 million in the budget to duplicate the Melton Highway between The Regency and Crown Drive.
In October, the Victorian Liberals committed, if elected, to deliver to a $900 million roads package for Melton which includes the $700 million upgrade of the Western Highway to urban freeway standard between the Western Ring Road and Melton and new or upgraded interchanges, $117 million to duplicate the Melton Highway between Melton and Hillside, and $91 million to duplicate Taylors Road between Kings Road and Gourlay Road.
This week, state Labor committed, if elected, to invest $10 million towards the business case to upgrade the Western Highway between Melton and Caroline Springs, adding
to the earlier federal commitment.
Council has welcomed these commitments and continues to call on all parties to commit to a roads package that would fully-fund all six key roads projects outlined in the ‘Fix Our Roads’ campaign.
Melton mayor Lara Carli said council is proud to have strong working relationships with state and federal representatives and those partnerships are critical to fixing Melton’s roads.
“We had hundreds of residents reach out to council with their own horror stories of congestion, dangerous driving conditions, near-misses and tragic accidents on our roads,” she said.
