By Ethan Benedicto
With congestion being at the forefront of every local resident’s mind, Clyde North remains a suburb yearning for other arterial pathways.
South-Eastern Metropolitan MP Michael Galea highlighted the issue following a parliament meeting on 19 June where he said he had heard from residents that both Thompsons Road and Soldiers Road are “no longer fit for purpose” in a fast-growing area.
While he acknowledged that Casey Council had been undergoing the process of extending Bells Road through to Thompsons Road, he expressed his concern on these works’ delays.
“As a user of the roads in the area myself, I know firsthand how much of a traffic nightmare the intersection of Soldiers Road and Thompsons Road has become,” he said.
Bells Road, which runs north of Thompsons Road and south just after Soldiers Road, would serve as the crucial link for residents to access O’Shea Road and the Monash Freeway but has since hit delays due to complications with a high-pressure gas transmission line.
While the intersection at Bells Road and Thompsons Road has been completed, further works are on hold as APA Group identified further requirements for the mentioned high-pressure gas transmission line that passes through the construction zone which was identified in May.
Casey’s manager of growth and investment Kathryn Seirlis said that it is understood by council that the locale is currently experiencing congestion in the area on daily commutes, and that “is why the Bells Road extension project is a significant… priority for council”.
Alongside Frasers Property Australia, council is working with APA Group and other relevant Victorian Government agencies to achieve a timely resolution in order to proceed with works, with council officers regularly assessing Soldiers Road’s condition and taking appropriate measures to maintain functionality and safety.
“Once complete, Bells Road will relieve the pressure on the surrounding road network by offering an alternative north-south arterial road for commuters travelling through the residential estates developing in Berwick and Clyde North and an additional connection to the Monash Freeway,” Ms Seirlis said.
The current intersection is home to Hillcrest Secondary College and neighbouring Rivercrest Primary School roughly 700 metres west of the former school; soon, it will also house the Clyde North Secondary School after it finishes construction in early 2025.
Thompsons Road serves as the only main pathway from Berwick-Cranbourne Road and Clyde Road to the newer estates of St Germain and Smiths Lane, with a more roundabout method available through Hardys Road.
For Vimmy, a local resident and mother, the situation on the roads can be summed up in one word, “terrible”.
“I struggle a lot, I used to drop my boy to school and it was only showing a nine-minute drive, but it would take me more than an hour to drop him off and come back.”
It is not uncommon for vehicles in Soldiers Road to be backed up to Hillcrest College’s third gate at peak school hours in the morning and afternoon, covering the roughly one-kilometre stretch until late in the afternoon.
Likewise, local traffic coming from St Germain and Smiths Lane turns into Soldiers Road with more traffic from Thompsons Road roundabout doing the same, ultimately resulting in an uncontrolled T-intersection.
A completed Bells Road would see a continuation of the intersection at Thompsons Road just before the Soldiers Road link, cutting through the farmland, connecting with Huckerby Drive just east of the bend at Hillcrest Secondary College and running straight through to O’Shea Road.
“The State Government is doing its bit as well, we have invested in the forthcoming works to significantly upgrade the Thompsons Road and Clyde Road intersection,” Mr Galea said.
He also added that there will be additional funding for new bus services in the suburb, which will see an extension of both the 831 and 798 bus routes that “will significantly improve and alleviate congestion in the long term as well”.
“But in the near term this is a major traffic issue which is causing grief for my constituents, and I call on Casey Council to finish these works as soon as possible,” Mr Galea said.
In the meantime, for Vimmy and other local residents, the wait goes on; having lived in the area for just under two years, the congestion had her questioning the decision to move, saying that “nothing supports the suburb”.
“I used to work in Hallam before, and during that time and because of the traffic, I’d need to leave the house earlier and put my child in before school care.
“They are telling people that this is going to happen, or that’s going to happen here, but nothing is happening,” she said.
Moving forward, Ms Seirlis said that “council is currently responding to these additional requirements”.
“This section of Bells Road cannot be completed until these requirements are resolved.”
