Western Freeway (Victoria)

Western Freeway
Basic data
Operator:	VicRoads
Start of the street:	Western Highway Burrumbeet ( VIC ) ( 37 ° 29 ′  S , 143 ° 47 ′  E )
End of street:	Western Ring Road Derrimut ( Melbourne ) ( VIC ) ( 37 ° 48 ′  S , 144 ° 47 ′  E )
Overall length:	125 km
States :	Victoria

The Western Freeway is a highway in the south of the Australian state of Victoria . It connects the Western Highway in Barrumbeet , 22 km northwest of Ballarat , with the Western Ring Road in Derrimut ( Melbourne ). The Western Freeway is labeled NM8 and, like the Western Highway, belongs to the national highway network of Australia.

Later the freeway will be extended west to Ararat , maybe even to Stawell .

The Western Freeway replaces and bypasses most of the old Western Highway on its route. The old parts of the Western Highway that still exist next to the Freeway were given the numbers C801, C802, C803, C804 and C805 , or (in the suburbs of Melbourne) Metroad 8 .

Deer Park bypass

Head east on Deer Park bypass to the intersection with Western Ring Road

The Deer Park bypass , a western suburb of Melbourne, opened to traffic on April 5, 2009. It connects the Western Freeway in Ravenhall with the Western Ring Road in Derrimut . This 9.3 km long stretch of city highway cost AU $ 333 million including the elevation-free connection to Leakes Road in Rockbank .

history

The task of this urban motorway is to relieve the Ballarat Road in Melbourne, which leads to the Western Ring Road. Due to the strong population growth in Deer Park and Sunshine (approx. 8.7%) and the seven traffic light crossings between the Western Ring Road and the beginning of the Western Freeway, there were repeatedly frustrating long waiting times on this route, which was carried by 70,000 vehicles every day. 10% of which are trucks.

The bypass had been proposed since the completion of the Western Ring Road, but was postponed due to unclear funding between the state of Victoria and the Commonwealth of Australia. In 2004, the Australian federal government announced that the Deer Park bypass would be built as part of a package for which Victoria received an AU $ 1.4 billion grant. It was assumed that the new road would reduce travel times by 15 minutes.

Construction began in August 2006 and was carried out in a joint venture between VicRoads and Leighton Contractors . The first section was opened to traffic in December 2007.

On March 4, 2009, it was announced that the Deer Park Bypass would open to traffic in early April 2009, more than eight months ahead of schedule.

Re-routing at Anthony's Cutting

Road across Djerriwarrh Creek prior to re-routing at Anthony's Cutting

This stretch of road between Bacchus Marsh and Melton was one of the most dangerous of the entire route and did not meet the modern freeway standard. The steep climbs and tight bends on the 5 km stretch led to 21 serious traffic accidents in just 5 years until 2010. More than 29,000 vehicles, including more than 4,000 trucks, use the route every day. The new line was opened to traffic on June 27, 2011, 9 months ahead of schedule.

The project included:

• Extension of Woolpack Road north from Bacchus Marsh to a new connection to the Western Freeway, including a bridge over the Lerderberg River
• Overpass of Bulmans Road over the existing Western Freeway.
• Overpass of Hopetoun Road over the new freeway with entrances and exits towards Melbourne
• New bridges for the freeway over Djerriwarrh Creek and Cowans Road , or Pyrites Creek .

Planned expansion

Distances to cities on the freeway

There are still many level crossings on the freeway, especially in the Rockbank area and Woodmans Hill , just east of Ballarat.

• Expansion and improvement of road safety between Rockbank and Melton, financed through Auslink 2 (2009–2014).
• Extension to the west to Ararat and maybe even to Stawell, also part of Auslink 2 .

Crossings and junctions

Western Freeway
Connections and crossings to the west	Distance to Adelaide (km)	Distance to Melbourne (km)	Connections and crossings to the east
At the end of the Western Freeway, continue as the Western Highway to Horsham / Adelaide	586	143	Start of the Western Freeway from the Western Highway
Wendouree, Ballarat Old Western Highway
RAILWAY LINE TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA	592	137	RAILWAY LINE TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Avoca, Mildura Sunraysia Highway	600	129	Avoca, Mildura Sunraysia Highway
Ballarat , Maryborough Ballarat-Maryborough Road	602	127	Maryborough, Ballarat Ballarat-Maryborough Road
Wendouree, Clunes Gillies Street	604	125	no exit
Geelong , Bendigo Midland Highway	606	123	Bendigo , Geelong Midland Highway
Brown Hill, Daylesford Ballarat-Daylesford Road	612	117	Daylesford, Brown Hill Ballarat-Daylesford Road
Ballarat Ballarat-Burrumbeet Road	614	115	no exit
Clarks Road	615	114	no connection
Brewery Tap Road	617	112	Brewery Tap Road
Mount Edgerton Old Melbourne Road			Mount Edgerton Old Melbourne Road
Greene Road	618	111	no connection
no connection	619	110	Richards Road
Forbes Road / Black Swamp Road	621	108	Black Swamp Road / Forbes Road
Bungaree Bungaree-Wallace Road	624	105	Bungaree Bungaree-Wallace Road
Bungaree, Creswick Bungaree-Creswick Road	626	103	Creswick , Bungaree Bungaree-Creswick Road
Wallace, Springbark Bungaree-Wallace Road / Ormond Road	632	97	Springbark, Wallace Ormond Road / Bungaree-Wallace Road
Gordon Brougham Street / Abbington Park Road	637	92	Gordon Brougham Street / Abbington Park Road
Ballan, Daylesford Ballan-Daylesford Road	647	82	Daylesford, Ballan Ballan-Daylesford Road
BP SERVICE CENTER	650	79	BP SERVICE CENTER
Ballan Old Melbourne Road	652	77	Ballan Old Melbourne Road
Kyneton Greendale-Myrniong Road	658	71	Kyneton Greendale-Myrniong Road
Pentland Hills Pentland Hills Road	664	65	Pentland Hills Pentland Hills Road
Pentland Hills Mortons Road / Pentland Hills Road	667	62	no exit
no exit	669	60	Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh Road
Geelong , Gisborne Bacchus Marsh-Gisborne Road	671	58	Gisborne, Geelong Bacchus Marsh-Gisborne Road
Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh Road	676	53	Bacchus Marsh Bacchus Marsh Road
Hopetoun Park Hopetoun Park Road	678	51	no exit
Exford, Melton Coburns Road	684	45	Melton, Exford Coburns Road
Melton South, Gisborne Ferris Road / Melton Highway	687	42	Taylors Lakes, Melton South Melton Highway / Ferris Road
Mount Cottrell, to Beattys Road Mount Cottrell Road	689	40	to Beattys Road, Mount Cottrell Mount Cottrell Road
Paynes Road	691	38	Paynes Road
Rockbank, Plumpton Leakes Road	693	36	Plumpton, Rockbank Leakes Road
Troups Road North	696	33	Troups Road North
Werribee , Diggers Rest Hopkins Road	698	31	Diggers Rest, Werribee Hopkins Road
Mobile SERVICE CENTER
no exit	701	28	Deer Park, Sunshine Ballarat Road
Caroline Springs Christies Road	702	27	no exit
RAILWAY LINE TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA	705	24	RAILWAY LINE TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Tarneit, Burnside Robinsons Road	708	21st	Burnside, Tarneit Robinsons Road
	710	19th	Greensborough, Seymour , Sydney Western Ring Road
Laverton, Ardeer Fitzgerald Road	711	18th	At the end of the Western Freeway, continue as the Western Ring Road to Melbourne / Geelong
Start of the Western Freeway further from the Western Ring Road

source

• Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007, ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 , p. 42 and 45

Individual evidence

1. ↑ First milestone reached on the Deer Park Bypass
2. ↑ Deer Park ByPass to open in early April 2009 . VicRoads ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ $ 200 million Anthony's Cutting Project Underway . In: Media release issued by the Hon Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister; Tim Pallas, Victorian Roads Minister; and Catherine King, Member for Ballarat . February 18, 2010. Archived from the original on June 1, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
4. ^ Anthony's Cutting to open early . In: The Courier . June 24, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
5. ↑ Anthony's Cutting realignment open to traffic . In: Melton Leader . June 27, 2011. Archived from the original on July 2, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
6. ↑ Project Overview . In: Western Highway Realignment Project . Archived from the original on April 22, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 4, 2011. 
7. ↑ PDF at www.doi.vic.gov.au ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap