After three years of construction, the long-awaited South Gippsland Highway and Ballarto Road roundabout is now open, with lane closures to continue for defect repairs throughout August.
A City of Casey spokesperson said as of Friday 1 August, Council opened the South Gippsland Highway and Ballarto Road roundabout in all directions.
“There are defect repair works to be completed throughout August that will require intermittent lane closures to complete finishing works,” they said.
“Traffic management will be in place while we are completing these final works.
“We thank the community for their patience. Further details can be found on the Council’s website.”
According to the Council’s website, from Tuesday 5 August, there will be some traffic management in place and lane closures (dependent on weather conditions).
The northbound slow lane will be closed while final works are completed. Lane closures and traffic management will be in place between the hours of 7am to 5pm daily. The roundabout will be fully open and operational outside of these hours.
Once this stage is completed, crews will move to the northbound fast lane and also close the side street entrance closest to Holbourne Drive. Works will be completed on drainage, kerbs, and the installation of signs and fencing.
To be able to complete the final wearing course layer of asphalt and permanent line marking on the northbound carriage way, construction crews will require a 24-hour closure of the northbound carriage way. This will be the final major construction activity required to complete the project.
Intermittent lane closures will be required to complete finishing works for the construction crew’s safety.
Cranbourne Gardens Ward Cr Michelle Crowther said as a local resident, she had shared the community’s frustration about the delays on this project and the impact on traffic flow and driving times.
“Most importantly, we must learn the lessons from this project and avoid it occurring again in the future,” she said.
“I am advocating strongly that Council should not take on any more State Road Projects, to reduce our financial risk and prevent ratepayers’ funds being used to complete State Roads.”
Star News has reported multiple times that Cranbourne and the surrounding community said they were tired of the roadwork.
Casey Council is converting the South Gippsland Highway and Ballarto Road intersection into a roundabout intersection to accommodate the growing population in the area, but the project faced a $2 million budget blowout, on top of the proposed $11 million, due to unexpected underground stabilisation and time extension costs.
One resident living near the roundabout construction site talked to the Star News and expressed frustration over prolonged inactivity and poor planning. He questioned how original project estimates overlooked underground services and called on those responsible to be held accountable.
Casey Council suggested earlier that the construction would be completed around July 2025.
