The state government has opened expressions of interest for a big-ticket road project, the West Gate Distributor, which it says will create 10,000 jobs.
The distributor is expected to take trucks headed for the Port of Melbourne on a new road link that would run through Yarraville, between Footscray Road and the West Gate Bridge.
The government plans that the first stage of the project will involve widening Moreland Street in Footscray, install a new signal intersection at Footscray Road and Moreland Street, and widen and strengthen Shepherd Bridge over the Maribyrnong River to increase the number of lanes.
It is expected to cost $40 million. The entire project has a $500 million price tag.
The upgrade to Shepherd Bridge and Footscray Road will include dedicated cycling lanes and the government claims it will eliminate traffic bottlenecks and increase traffic flow.
Expressions of interest opened on Wednesday. Shortlisted contractors will be required to take part in a request for tenders process in May. The government says the contract will be awarded mid-year and construction will start by year’s end.
“Building the West Gate Distributor and removing 50 of our most dangerous and congested level crossings will make it easier for Victorians to get to work every morning,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
The government also claims the distributor will ease city-bound congestion from Geelong, Ballarat and Melbourne’s western suburbs.
This story first appeared in The Age
