By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
IT’S been closed for 11 years, and there’s still no resolution in sight for Evans Road.
Directly affecting Cranbourne West, Lynbrook and Lyndhurst residents among hundreds more who sit in bottleneck traffic each day – Evans Road is a major concern for the 150 local residents who met at a recent rally.
It’s the road that makes many southeast commuters late on a daily basis, and is stripping them of “quality time with their family”, Casey Councillor Amanda Stapledon said.
“If a temporary solution was made by VicRoads and the State Government, the whole community would benefit,” she said at a recent rally.
“It would form a more engaged and happy community – everywhere Lyndhurst residents go they have to endure significant traffic jams of up to half an hour.
“Opening Evans Road would give them another option, link them to services in Lynbrook and ease congestion at the Thompsons Road roundabout.”
Currently closed due to safety concerns, Acting VicRoads Metro South East Director of Transport and Planning Ms Savoula Lidis said the next step for Evans Road was under investigation.
“We have met with Casey council engineers to discuss options on how to open Evans Road without adversely affecting the safety and capacity of this location,” Ms Lidis said.
“There were a number of options suggested, and we both (council and VicRoads) agreed to investigate these over the coming weeks.”
Cr Stapledon said the council was ready to re-open the road four years ago, but VicRoads decided against it due to the unsafe intersection at South Gippsland Highway, Hallam Road and Evans Road.
“VicRoads said the intersection needs to be upgraded before Evans Road could be opened and council have since put forward temporary options for a re-open because this is of top priority for residents and the council.
“But there is no political will by the State Government to fix the intersection,” Cr Stapledon said.
Left as it is, the closed road is causing a different set of safety concerns with drivers illegally ignoring barriers and signs and taking the grassy route alongside the train tracks to avoid long traffic delays.
Casey Cr Damien Rosario said “people are taking their lives into their own hands”.
“Every day people are driving through the closed road and it’s becoming a problem because of the alternative option which is a big detour,” he said.
Rubbish dumping at the closed section of Evans Road is another issue, Cr Stapledon said.
“A massive rubbish clean-up was recently done because people use it as a dumping ground – and it’s been this way for as long as I’ve been on council,” she said.
What do you think should be done to re-open Evans Road in a safe way?
