By Victoria Stone-Meadows
THE long-awaited upgrades to Thompsons Road have officially begun with MPs announcing the beginning of the project on Monday 12 December.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera joined Roads Minister Luke Donnellan, Carrum MP Sonya Kilkenny with representatives of the construction company and Federal Isaacs MP Mark Dreyfus’s office to launch the project.
The State Government awarded the tender for the construction of the first stage of the upgrades to civil engineering frim BMD in October this year.
The first stage of the $175 million upgrade will see the level crossing near Merinda Park Train Station in Lyndhurst have a six-lane bridge constructed ease congestion and make the crossing safer.
Roughly 19,000 cars and trucks use the Thompsons Road level crossing each day and there have been 156 road accidents reported between Dandenong-Frankston Road and Berwick-Cranbourne Road in the last five years.
This part of the project will also see the 1.2km stretch of Thompsons Road between Marriott Boulevard and the South Gippsland Highway duplicated.
Minister for Roads and Road safety Luke Donnellan said the new and improved Thompsons Road will make travel a lot easier for people living in the south-east.
“We’re putting people first and cutting travel times, boosting safety and supporting the south-east’s growing population,” he said.
“Thompsons Road is in the middle of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions and this project is important to getting people to their daily destinations efficiently and safely.”
Stage one of the upgrades will also include new street lights and shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists to safely and easily access Merinda Park train station.
This part of the overall upgrade is expected to be complete by the end of 2018 and stage two completed by the middle of 2019.
Stage two will see Thompsons Road widened between Dandenong-Frankston Road to Marriott Boulevard and from Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road to Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
The second stage will also include the construction of 10km of shared pedestrian and cyclist paths running alongside the road.
A spokesperson from Mr Donnellan’s office said there are no plans at this stage to extend Thompsons Road beyond its current length.
