By Marcus Uhe
Gembrook MP Brad Battin has declared that an elected Liberal National Government would invest $175 million to upgrade Berwick-Cranbourne Road.
The investment will see the critical thoroughfare duplicated from Thompsons Road in Berwick to Sladen Street in Cranbourne and comes in addition to the opposition’s $10 billion commitment to improving Victorian Roads over the next 10 years.
“After years of State Labor Government neglect on our major local roads, this is a much-needed upgrade to greatly improve road safety in one of the fastest growing areas in the state,” Mr Battin said.
“It is not only congestion residents are facing on their daily commute, but potholes, so this duplication in addition to the Liberals’ $10 billion plan to improve the state roads will ensure Casey’s road are finally looked after.”
Berwick-Cranbourne Road is a critical piece of the Clyde Road corridor, the main north-south arterial road corridor in the City of Casey, connecting Berwick, Clyde, Clyde North, Cranbourne East and Cranbourne.
As population continues to swell in Clyde and Clyde North, the City of Casey is advocating for a mass upgrade of the corridor, calling on support from the State and Federal Governments to undertake a business case to deliver a costed plan for the project.
Eighty-eight per cent of responders to a city-wide survey undertaken by the council in 2021 said that road congestion is a major issue in the area and 84 per cent said that the Clyde Road Corridor upgrade was important to them.
The council is seeking a duplication of up to 14 kilometres of arterial road, new signalised and upgraded intersections, new shared paths, new bus stops, increased bus frequency, pedestrian crossings, improved traffic management technology, and early planning and upgrades of Clyde-Five Ways Road and Ballarto Road to cater for future growth.
The population of Casey is expected to reach 550,000 by 2041, with Clyde and Clyde North alone expected to cater for more than 157,000.
Clyde Road, Berwick-Cranbourne Road and Clyde-Five Ways Road are all arterial roads managed by the Victorian Government.
Clyde Road ranked in the top 10 for on AAMI’s crash index for worst crash hotspots in Melbourne for the second consecutive year.
There were 265 crashes along the corridor, including one fatality, in the last five years according to the council.
The corridor acts as a border for the seats of Cranbourne and Berwick, which will come into effect on Tuesday 1 November ahead of the election on the Saturday 26 November and early voting opening on Monday 14 November.
Liberal candidate for Cranbourne Jagdeep Singh said his constituents would welcome the Liberal-Nationals investment.
“Speaking with local residents in Cranbourne and Clyde North, one of their main concerns has been the condition of Berwick-Cranbourne Road and the need for its duplication,” Mr Singh said.
The Labor Party removed the level crossing at Clyde Road and replaced it with a road underpass, which reopened to the public in February this year, along with an upgraded bus interchange at Berwick Station and new walking and bike riding connections as part of the level crossing removal project.
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards and Labor candidate for Berwick Malik Zaveer were contacted for comment.
