The reconstruction of Summerhill Road in Footscray has commenced, addressing the ongoing deterioration of the road surface.
The reconstruction and resurfacing project is part of the Maribyrnong council’s commitment to upgrading key distributor roads to improve safety and functionality for the high traffic volumes, including heavy vehicles, that pass through the municipality.
Upgrades to Somerville Road in Kingsville, Mitchell Street in Maidstone, and Rosamond Road in Maribyrnong have already been completed, addressing deterioration caused by increasing wet weather and heavy traffic use over time.
Works along Summerhill Road will involve replacing the road pavement between Ballarat Road and Eden Street, with new kerb and channel installations to improve drainage and manage issues with some driveways.
Additionally, an extra pedestrian crossing will be constructed in response to community requests.
The kerb and channel works, currently under way, are expected to take about three weeks to complete, weather permitting.
These works will primarily be conducted at night to minimize the impact on traffic and the surrounding road network, with some daytime work occurring between 10am and 2pm.
Due to the use of heavy machinery, there will be some noise and dust, which the contractor will do its best to minimise by scheduling the most disruptive work between 8pm and 11pm.
The road will need to be closed at times to facilitate the works and ensure the safety of work crews and road users.
Detours will be signposted, and residents will be assisted in accessing their properties.
Residents will be informed in advance of any impacts on parking within the work zone.
Asphalting works will follow and are expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Further works along Summerhill Road, from Essex to Eden streets, involving road reconstruction, are anticipated in the first half of next year, with re-sheeting from Barkly Street to Essex Street to follow.
Maribyrnong mayor Cuc Lam said, “By re-sheeting and resurfacing Summerhill Road, we can improve and restore the condition of the road pavement extending the life expectancy of this high traffic area for up to twenty years.
“While the scale of works will mean some disruption for residents and travellers, once completed, the need for ongoing repairs will be reduced and the experience of road users significantly improved, which is what our community has been asking of us.”
While acknowledging bike lanes are not included in the like-for-like reconstruction, Cr Lam also reinforced council “remains committed to engaging with our community on delivery of a north-south cycling corridor that will support the needs of residents and road users”.
