Drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are benefitting from safer, more reliable travel sooner than expected, with major works on the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade, south of Geelong, completed six months ahead of schedule.
The $365 million project has added approximately four kilometres of extra lanes between Belmont and Charlemont to help cater for an anticipated 44,000 daily journeys by 2031.
The Australian Government committed $292 million and the Victorian Government $73 million to the project.
Other improvements include intersection upgrades, four kilometres of new shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists, the removal of a level crossing and its replacement with a bridge over Marshall's rail line.
The completion announcement follows the opening of the Geelong-bound carriageway over the bridge at Marshall on 24 May. The opening marked the first time traffic could flow in both directions for the full length of the upgrade since early works began in July 2021.
As crews undertake landscaping and other finishing touches along the project, there may be some lane closures on Barwon Heads Road outside peak travel times.
Crews will return later in the year when temperatures and weather conditions support the placement of a final layer of asphalt.
All intersection upgrades are complete, and the shared-use path is set for completion in mid-July.
To meet the increased demand, the second stage of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade will improve Barwon Heads Road from Reserve Road, Charlemont, to Lower Duneed Road, ensuring this important arterial link between Geelong and the Bellarine is fit for purpose and caters to the fast-growing Armstrong Creek urban growth corridor.
The stage one upgrade has created more than 570 local jobs and generated a further 1,419 indirect jobs, providing a crucial boost to the region's recovery post-COVID-19.
- worked 681,438 labour hours - equivalent to 374 years of standard annual working weeks
- removed 144,013 tonnes of materials - equivalent in weight to 2,323 E-class trams
- laid 57,576 tonnes of asphalt - equivalent in weight to 10,662 Indian elephants
- installed 10,176 metres of guardrail - equivalent in length to nearly 2,000 dual-cab utes
- planted more than 118,000 native plants.
Decmil, BMD Constructions and BildGroup built the upgrade in partnership with MRPV.
