By Victoria Stone-Meadows
THE Victorian Government has announced BMD Constructions has been awarded the contact to upgrade Thompsons Road between the Western Port Highway and the Cranbourne Berwick Road.
The contract is to begin stage one of the $175 million project, with commencement expected by the end of the year.
BMD has managed many large road infrastructure projects in Victoria and its urban development branch is developing the Clydevale Residential Estate in North Clyde.
BMD’s road projects include the M80 Ring Road Upgrade near Sunshine North, the Buangor Bypass project, the Bendigo Airport redevelopment and the Princess Highway East Duplication.
The first stage of upgrades to Thompsons Road will be the removal of the level train crossing near Merinda Park Train Station and some road duplication.
This stage will see a six-lane bridge built over the train line between Evans Road and the South Gippsland Highway and Thompsons Road duplicated between Marriott Boulevard and the South Gippsland Highway.
Stage one will also provide new paths and street lighting for cyclists and pedestrians to improve the connection to Merinda Park train station.
The following stages of the project will see major changes made to the road and pedestrian infrastructure of the Thompsons Road.
Subsequent stages of the project will see further duplication of Thompsons Road from the Frankston Dandenong Road to Marriot Boulevard and from the Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road to the Berwick Cranbourne Road.
There will also be a total of 10 kilometres of new shared path along Thompsons Road for cyclist and pedestrian use.
Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan said the upgrades to Thompsons Road would be a big win for the expanding local community.
“The Thompsons Road upgrade will reduce traffic and travel time, make the drive safer and support our growing population,” he said.
“We want Victorians to spend less time stuck in traffic and more time at home with their families.”
The Victorian Government has predicted a completion date for the entire project of early to mid-2019.
