Taking a tour

From the air there is a tangle of freeway lanes, ramps and frontage roads.

The interchange having a total of sixteen bridges.

Including:

• two taking the Calder Freeway over the M80 Ring Road,
• five taking the Calder Freeway over freeway ramps,
• two taking freeway ramps over the M80 Ring Road,
• five bridges over railway tracks,
• one taking Fullarton Road over the interchange,
• and finally, a pedestrian footbridge at Collinson Street.

And increasing the complexity of the interchange are two other features – the Fullarton Road ‘frontage road’ skirts the northern edge, and Calder Freeway westbound exit for Keilor Park Drive is via a collector/distributor lane arrangement with the M80 Ring Road ramps.

But the despite the number of bridges, only four out of the possible eight freeway-to-freeway movements are possible:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway westbound,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road southbound,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway eastbound, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road northbound.

The other four movements being catered for by other routes:

• M80 Ring Road southbound > Calder Freeway eastbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the M80 Ring Road interchange,
• Calder Freeway westbound > M80 Ring Road northbound via Tullamarine Freeway from the Calder Freeway interchange,
• M80 Ring Road northbound > Calder Freeway westbound via Keilor Park Drive, and
• Calder Freeway eastbound > M80 Ring Road southbound via Keilor Park Drive.

And local traffic – for the Calder Freeway they have to use the Woorite Place, Fullarton Road or McNamara Avenue exits; for the M80 Ring Road they need to use Keilor Park Drive or Airport Drive.

So how did this mess of roads come to be?

A history of the Calder Freeway, Keilor Park Drive, and the M80 Western Ring Road

We start back in 1971, when Keilor Park was a recently developed suburb, there was no such thing as Keilor Park Drive, and the Calder Highway was just a normal road. The only sign of what was to come – two faint purple lines marking future freeways.

Melway edition 5, 1971

By 1975 the first stage of the Calder Freeway had been completed from Niddrie, terminating at Keilor East – and the first sign of Keilor Park Drive.

Melway edition 8, 1975

By 1976 the Calder Highway had been deviated towards the Keilor Cemetery, ready for a freeway extension.

Melway edition 9, 1976

Keilor Park Drive was completed by 1978, and the planned ring road alignment had been extended south of the Calder Freeway.

Melway edition 11, 1978

By 1979 work on the Calder Freeway extension west to Keilor was underway.

Melway edition 12, 1979

Completed by 1982.

Melway edition 14, 1982

There things stayed still, until 1989 saw the planned alignment for the Western Ring Road tweaked.

Melway edition 19, 1989

The debate over the interchange

Early planning for the Western Ring Road was undecided about the provision of an interchange with the Calder Freeway, due to the impacts on the surrounding area.

The planning scheme reservation across the Calder Freeway is about 30 metres wide and is inadequate to accommodate the WRR. No allowance was made in previous planning for the additional land that would be required for an interchange between the WRR and the Calder Freeway . As a result, development has been allowed to proceed right up to the reservation boundary. South of the Calder Freeway is the East Keilor industrial area, consisting of small industrial premises, while to the north is the residential area of Keilor Park.

Four interchange options were subject to detailed investigation.

• a ‘no-interchange’ option requlrlng turning traffic between the Calder and the WRR to use nearby local access interchanges and local roads . This would include grade separation of the two routes and acquisition of 15 business premises at a cost of $14m. It would cause significant increases in through traffic on local roads;
• build an interchange, with a range of alternatives examined including a diamond interchange (with signals on the WRR), a bridged rotary and a number of freeway to freeway variations. The cost would range from $27m for a diamond to $52 for freeway to freeway. Up to 75 business premises and 30 houses would be required.

The recommended solution was a two-level interchange with turning roadways in two quadrants, with a September 1989 information bulletin stating.

There has been a lot of community discussion about whether or not an interchange should be built to connect the WRR with the Calder Freeway.

If an interchange were not built, there would be big increases in traffic on local arterial roads, such as Milleara Road and Keilor Park Drive. An interchange is therefore favoured despite its estimated cost of up to $50m and the effect on a number of houses and businesses.

Following recent discussions with local residents, further ideas have been examined. These would not separate through traffic from local traffic, and would still impact on a similar number of properties.

It is therefore proposed to reserve enough land for an interchange at the location originally shown (immediately west of the SEC power lines).

This would require a section of Fullarton Road to be moved. Space would be provided for landscaping and noise barriers to protect houses in Keilor Park.

These changes being included in the Western Road Road Environmental Effects Statement advertised in December 1989.

Featuring a long list of land use changes in Keilor Park and East Keilor.

Including:

14)

The Proposed Secondary Road link to Cecelia Drive is to be deleted. It previously provided a local connection between Buckley Street and the Calder Freeway which is now to be via the Dodds Road interchange and the new connection through former Commonwealth land to Milleara Road (see item 16 below). The reservation is to be rezoned to appropriate abutting zoning (Residential C and Proposed Public Open Space reservation).

15)

An area of land to the north of the previous Cecelia Drive route, which is zoned for Reserved Light Industrial, will be impossible to develop for industrial purposes because of access difficulties. It is proposed to be rezoned to Proposed Public Open Space as an extension of the Maribymong Valley Park. The area will be capable of providing for pedestrian/cycle access into the park from the new Dodds Road connection. It is owned by the MMBW.

16)

A large area of land reserved for Commonwealth purposes in Milleara Road has been sold and is being subdivided for housing. The site is to be rezoned to Reserved Living, in accordance with the proposed use. Incorporated within the zone will be a Secondary Road reservation which provides for the connection between Dodds Road interchange and Milleara Road, on the alignment included within the approved plan of subdivision.

17)

As part of the necessary connections between the existing road network and the Ring Road, the Roads Corporation are intending to construct a connection between the Dodds Road interchange and Keilor Park Drive. This route will utilise the existing reservation and Cemetery road to the southern boundary of the cemetery, then deviate westwards to join Keilor Park Drive. A portion of Brimbank Park, reserved for Proposed Public Open Space, is to be amended to Proposed Secondary Road and an excised remnant amended to Proposed Cemetery to allow for future expansion of the adjoining Keilor Cemetery. The deviation shall involve the least acquisition necessary to achieve a satisfactory road alignment.

18)

Land north-east of the proposed Dodds road interchange has recently been subdivided for industrial purposes. The zoning is to be rationalised to provide a Reserved Light Industrial Zone along the railway opposite future housing (Item 16). A proposed reservation for re-instating access to the Slater Parade Industrial Area is also provided (Proposed Public Purposes 20).

19)

The area between the new Dodds Road/Keilor Park Drive link and the Ring Road is currently zoned for a variety of industrial and other uses. It is intended to rationalise the zoning for this area.
The existing Reserved Light Industrial and Reserved General Industrial Zones will be amended to a Restricted Light Industrial zone which will allow greater control over buildings and works.

20)

Land severed from Brimbank Park by Cemetery Road deviation and public open space reservation due east of the Keilor Cemetery is proposed to be included in a Proposed Cemetery Reservation. This will provide for a much needed extension of the cemetery. Open space lost in the extension will be replaced in the area south of Dodds Road interchange (see Item 15).

21)

Access is to be restored to the properties west of the Ring Road in the Prendergast Avenue area. The new road (shown as Proposed Public Purposes 20) will provide subdivisional opportunities which can be taken up by the owner by agreement with the Council and the Roads Corporation.

22)

The Roads Corporation proposes to construct a freeway-to-freeway interchange between the Ring Road and the Calder Freeway. The construction may take place in stages, to match traffic growth and may initially include some at grade intersections with traffic signals. These would later be replaced by free flow ramps. The Proposed Main Road reservation included in this amendment provides for the total land requirements for the final interchange. This also provides for a deviation of Fullarton Road around the interchange to maintain access between Keilor Park and Airport West.

23)

The present planning scheme shows the Calder Freeway between Woorite Place and the Maribyrnong River as a mixture of Main Road, Proposed Main Road and Road Widening reservations. The boundaries of these reservations have been changed to match the layout of the freeway.

Time to build

Plans for the Western Ring Road had been made real by 1991, when a whole slew of new proposed roads added to the Melway – including the Western Ring Road, an interchange with the Calder Freeway, and a southward extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road.

Melway edition 21, 1991

Work started on the 2.6 km long extension of Keilor Park Drive to Milleara Road in 1993, opening to traffic on 11 April 1994 at a cost of $20 million. A further $5 million was spent on the duplication of Keilor Park Drive and Sharps Road, in preparation for the traffic that the next stage of the Western Ring Road would bring – but the Calder Freeway interchange was still ‘proposed’.

Melway edition 23, 1995

But the interchange was approved soon after – detailed design work commenced in 1992 with construction planned to start in 1996, with completed by 1998. However additional funding from the Federal Government saw the project sped up – construction commenced in May 1994 under two contracts, with a 90 week deadline:

• Stage 1: $30 million contract with Fletcher Construction Australia and Sinclair Knight Merz for the construction of four road bridges, three bridges over rail lines and the extension the existing pedestrian footbridge.
• Stage 2: $14.6 million contract with Transfield Constructions and Roche Bros to widen the Calder Freeway from Keilor Park Drive to McNamara Avenue, build six road bridges, and widen two bridges over the railway.

1996 saw the interchange marked as ‘under construction’ in the Melway, and the western ramps at the Calder Freeway / Woorite Place interchange had been closed.

Melway edition 24, 1996

With the freeway network reaching the current state in 1998.

Melway edition 25, 1998

Today the only different is the number of lanes: the Western Ring Road north of the Calder Freeway interchange was widened to four lanes in 2013, the section to the south following in 2018.

And the streets wiped off the map

To make room for the freeway interchange a compulsory acquisition process was started in 1993, and by February 1995 twenty out of 30 houses in Keilor Park had been demolished, with 75 commercial and industrial properties due to follow.

By the time the area was cleared, Prendergast Avenue, Webber Parade, Tunnecliffe Avenue, Hogan Parade had all been wiped off the map, along with a portion of the ‘Milleara Estate’ by landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin, designer of Canberra.

Footnote: ghost ramp on the Calder Freeway

The interchange of the Calder Freeway and Woorite Place was once a full diamond, but the ramps to the west were removed to eliminate weaving movements with traffic from the Western Ring Road.

Google Maps

The remains on the eastbound off ramp are still visible today as a ‘ghost ramp‘.

Google Street View

Footnote: building bridges

The paper Design and Construct Bridge Structures on the Western Ring Road — Calder Freeway Interchange by Mark Percival and Duncan Kinder details the construction of the bridges at the interchange.

Each of a unique design.

Fullarton Road Bridge
Fullarton Road formerly ran parallel to the Calder Freeway between Matthews Avenue to the east and Keilor Park Drive to the west, providing vehicular access to private housing on the northern side of the freeway. Construction of a grade separation structure over the proposed Western Ring Road was required to maintain this access. The bridge carries two lanes of traffic (one in each direction) and has a 2m wide footpath located along the northern side of the bridge.

Ramp A Bridge
This bridge was provided to allow vehicles travelling north along the Western Ring Road to exit off the Ring Road and join the Calder Freeway, leading back into Melbourne. The bridge is constructed parallel to the Fullarton Road Bridge and spans over the Western Ring Road, Ramp C and Ramp D.

Ramp C Bridge
Ramp C provides access for traffic heading south along the Western Ring Road to exit north towards Bendigo along the Calder Freeway.

Ramp D Bridge
This bridge provides access for southbound traffic from the Calder Freeway to enter the westbound carriageway of the Western Ring Road. As well as being curved in plan, it has a high skew. (21° at the west abutment, 30° at the east abutment)

Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge, Ramp A Rail Bridge and Ramp B Rail Bridge
Ramp A and Ramp B Rail Bridges were provided to allow access on or off the Western Ring Road, and Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge was required to maintain access to the existing access road. All three bridges over the Albion to Broadmeadows Rail Line provide for two lanes of traffic. The Fullarton Road over Rail Bridge also included a pedestrian footpath. Each bridge comprises three simply supported spans varying in length from 11.4m to 15.2m.

Collinson Street Footbridge
The existing Collinson Street Footbridge over the Calder Freeway required extension to provide access over both Ramp C and E. The existing circular ramp at the southern end of the bridge was demolished and the bridge extended at the south end with 4 additional spans.

The curved road bridges were concrete box girders cast in place, with the roadway beneath excavated following completion of the bridge; while the bridges over the railway were conventional super ‘T’ beams lowered into place by cranes.

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Overview of the carriage yards from the north-east side of La Trobe Street

Regional Rail Link

Work on the Regional Rail Link project will still ticking away, with Sunbury line passengers often having to change to buses at Footscray station.

New tracks had been completed along the edge of Docklands.

But work continued on the route past South Kensington.

Where the old tracks were getting rebuilt.

And at Middle Footscray, where space needed to be created for a third pair of tracks.

The north end of the footbridge at Footscray had been demolished for the same reason.

But work on the 1 McNab Avenue office tower was also underway.

Visible from all over Footscray.

The first stage of Regional Rail Link between the city and Footscray opened in July 2014, with the project completed in June 2015.

Myki

The changeover to Myki was still underway, with ‘Myki Mates’ talking to Traralgon passengers at Southern Cross Station ahead of the rollout of Myki to their line.

Public Transport Victoria also opened a new ‘PTV Hub’ beneath their head office at 750 Collins Street, Docklands.

And a ‘Pop up PTV Hub’ at Southern Cross Station for myki queries during the V/Line rollout.

But the reliability of the Myki system left much to be desired – defective readers onboard trams were still common.

Trams

A decade ago the corner of Elizabeth and Collins Streets still had a tram stop, located a short walk from the Elizabeth Street terminus.

It was eventually replaced with a platform stop located a block to the north in October 2013.

I also paid a visit to the much older trams found at the Ballarat Tramway Museum.

Luckily the sun came out on what was a cold winter’s day.

And back at the depot I found a 1970s advertisement from the State Electricity Commission of Victoria promoting all-electric kitchens.

A case of everything old is new again!

Southern Cross Station

At the far end of Southern Cross Station I paid a visit to the ‘Cavalcade of Transport’ mural – it was still in place, but the rest of the shopping centre had been stripped out for redevelopment.

While at the other end I found a curious sign – a train icon directing me to the ‘Airport Express’.

But it was a lie – the only service them, as is now, was a bus.

In the years since SkyBus has swapped their articulated buses for even larger double deck buses, but they still get stuck in traffic on the run between the CBD and Melbourne Airport.

And the other bits

Down at Avalon Airport I found ex-Qantas 747-300 VH-EBU ‘Nalanji Dreaming‘ still in storage outside Hangar 6.

It was repainted into a white livery in 2016, but was scrapped in June 2023.

Out at Campbellfield I went past the site of Pipeworks Fun Market on Mahoney’s Road.

The market closed in 2013, but opened on a new site in 2022.

On the Monash Freeway I found a set of new fixed speed cameras being installed.

They catch around 7,500 speeding motorists in each direction each year, despite standing out like dog’s balls.

And on the Metropolitan Ring Road works were underway on the upgrade between Edgars Road to Plenty Road.

That section was finished in April 2014, but it only marked the start of a decade of works elsewhere on the Ring Road.

And finally, a giant pile of mX newspapers unopened after the end of evening peak.

The evening commuter newspaper continued to be published until June 2015.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Down by the tracks

We start this month down at the west end of the Melbourne CBD, where the apartment blocks of Docklands towered over wasteland of railway sidings.

In 2015 the rail freight terminal was relocated to make way for the ‘E-Gate’ urban renewal project, but it was not to be – Transurban came along with their unsolicited West Gate ‘Tunnel’ idea, and now the land is being covered with a tangle of elevated roads forming the Wurundjeri Way extension.

Next stop, over to Murrumbeena and Hughesdale.

The tracks used to be down at ground level, surrounded by trees.

But the entire section is now parkland, the railway line being elevated onto the ‘skyrail’ viaduct in 2018 to remove multiple level crossings.

Next stop, Coburg station.

That station building is still there today, but the tracks are not – a new elevated station was built on the site in 2020, removing the Bell Street level crossing.

And finally, the complex mess of cars, trams and trains crossing Burke Road at Gardiner station..

The railway lines was placed beneath the road in 2016, removing the 30 km/h speed restriction for trams and trains.

Metcard vs Myki

The rollout of Myki to trams in Melbourne was underway, with the “you don’t need to touch off on trams” message struggling to get out.

Diehard Metcard users still pumping coins into the ticket machines onboard trams.

Railway stations also still had their 1990s-era ‘Booking Office Machines’ used to issue Metcards.

And crowded Myki gates at railway stations was still an issue.

Overflow gates having been installed in an attempt to handle crowds, but often went unused.

Ding ding

In recent years many Melbourne CBD tram stops have closed – the one at the corner of William and Lonsdale Street is one of them.

A decade ago, the work on the platform stops along Swanston Street was still getting dragged along.

The corner of Swanston and Collins Street a construction site for months.

As was the tram stop at Swanston and Bourke Street.

It took until July 2012 for them to finally open to passengers.

Also this month the ‘H’ crossing at the intersection of Victoria and Peel Streets was being renewed.

Fresh tram track being installed where routes 58 and 57 intersect, during a weekend shutdown of the complete intersection.

On the buses

A decade ago Melbourne’s bus operators still had their fleets painted in their own corporate livery – Ventura in two-tone blue with yellow highlights.

Driver Bus Lines had white with blue and teal stripes.

And Grenda had red and yellow stripes.

Ventura still operates bus services in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, but the routes once operated by Driver Bus Lines were acquired by CDC Melbourne in 2013, and the Grenda brand has now been absorbed into the Ventura Group.

Construction

Work on Regional Rail Link was quite disruptive through Footscray, as the rail corridor was expanded to fit two new tracks.

The first section of the new Nicholson Street bridge in place.

Ballarat and Bendigo trains started using the new tracks from July 2014, with Geelong trains following from June 2015

Also in the west the expansion of Highpoint Shopping Centre was underway, tower cranes at work on a $300 million extension featuring a David Jones store.

Which wasn’t a successful move for the high end department store – in 2021 they shrunk the store to a single floor, to make way for Kmart!

While over in Ascot Vale, the abandoned Racecourse Hotel had been set on fire.

After laying empty for many years.

The site was cleared soon after, and after many years of planning objections, the 22 storey ‘Only Flemington‘ apartment tower was eventually built on the site.

And everything else

While passing through West Footscray I found the infamous Sims Supermarket – known for their ‘The Price Crusher’ slogan.

The small supermarket chain went into administration in 2017, and the store is now an IGA.

On the subject of supermarkets, I found two Coles stores across the street from each other in Coburg.

One of the stores has always been as a Coles, while the other was a rebranded Bi-Lo store, trading beside each other until one was closed in 2021 and turned into artist studios.

I also found a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car.

The custom registration plates indicating it was part of the Victorian Government’s five year ‘Electric Vehicle Trial‘ launched in October 2010.

While a mid-term report was published in 2013, the final report of the trial has not been published.

I also went past the Port of Melbourne to photograph some container ships.

A location now inaccessible following the expansion of the Swanson Dock container terminal.

And finally, I went for a walk over the surprisingly leafy looking Western Ring Road.

At the Craigieburn Bypass interchange.

But a decade on, the same scene is covered in concrete – the recently completed M80 Upgrade added additional lanes between Sydney Road and Edgars Road at a cost of $518 million.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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In with the new

Every month seems to involve new rail infrastructure, and this is no different.

At Laverton station on the Werribee line, a crane was hard at work lifting the new footbridge spans into place.

Cranes were also working at Coolaroo.

Where a new two platform station was being built on the Craigieburn line, between Broadmeadows and Roxburgh Park stations.

While the long awaited new footbridge at Footscray station was slowly being extended across the tracks.

Just in time to be partially demolished in 2013 to make way for Regional Rail Link.

The first of the new X’Trapolis trains had arrived into Melbourne, and were running around minus any branding.

The result of a 2007 contest between existing suppliers of Melbourne trains, Siemens and Alstom, the trains were a much needed response to cater for an explosion in rail patronage. The past decade has seen X’Trapolis trains now forming the core of the Melbourne train fleet, but have been ordered in numbers just big enough to keep the Alstom factory at Ballarat in business, putting it’s future in doubt.

In 2009 the rollout of Myki equipment on the V/Line platforms at Southern Cross Station kicked off.

With temporary fencing funnelling passengers through the future ticket gates.

But it took June 2013 (four more years!) until Myki was first accepted on V/Line commuter services, with paper tickets not killed off until February 2014.

Scenes that no longer exist

Non-air conditioned Hitachi trains were still in service.

The last one running in December 2013.

Furlong Road at Ginifer station still had a level crossing.

It wasn’t grade separated until 2017.

V/Line was still running two car VLocity trains, like this one passing through Middle Footscray.

The houses in the background were demolished in 2011 to make way for the Regional Rail Link project, and in June 2016 the last VLocity train was extended to three cars.

Here a V/Line train pulling into Melbourne Yard, with the Docklands skyline in the background.

In 2014 the area was rebuilt as part of the Regional Rail Link project, but without any platforms at North Melbourne, while the V/Line train itself was retired in August 2017.

I went past the freight yard at North Dynon freight yard.

Aurizon withdrew from the operation of interstate intermodal services in 2017, V/Line trains now pass by on their own Regional Rail Link tracks, and Sunbury trains will soon move into the Metro Tunnel portal now being constructed.

Plus further afield, I photographed a V/Line train from Warrnambool passes the new housing developments of Grovedale and Waurn Ponds.

The surrounding paddocks were rezoned as the Armstrong Creek Growth Area in 2010, with Waurn Ponds station opened on the site in 2014, but it took until this year for the first bus route through Armstrong Creek to commence operation.

I also followed a freight train bound for Mildura, passing through the abandoned station at Creswick.

And Clunes.

Both stations closed to passengers in 1993, but now see passenger trains again – Creswick from a new platform opened in 2010 following the restoration of passenger services to Maryborough, and Clunes from a platform restored in 2011.

And away from the railway tracks

Remember when the Western Ring Road had a grass median strip?

Opened back in the 1990s, it was widened in stages from 2009, with the final section completed in 2018. How long until the next ‘upgrade’?

Birrarung Marr used to be the home of a ferris wheel.

Billed as the “largest travelling ferris wheel in the southern hemisphere“, patronage plummeted following the opening of the Melbourne Star observation wheel in the back blocks of Docklands, with it being relocated to Geelong.

And goodbye to the art deco Lonsdale House.

Reconstructed in 1934 from two different sized Victorian-era buildings, it was demolished in 2009 as part of the Emporium shopping centre development – to make room for a loading dock.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Lots of construction

On the Craigieburn line, a new $38 million railway station was taking shape at Coolaroo.

While at Craigieburn the second platform was being prepared for the use of suburban trains.

Both projects were originally intended to be part of the Craigieburn Rail Project completed in 2007, but descoped to a lack of funds.

Down on the Werribee line the $92.6 project to add a third platform to Laverton station was well underway.

The old ramp was ready to be demolished.

To be replaced by a steep set of stairs, and unreliable lifts that are too small to take an ambulance stretcher.

Work was also well underway on the new footbridge at Footscray station, with the site cleared.

And the first bridge span waiting to be lifted into place.

And a short distance away at Sunshine a different rail bridge was under construction.

Costing $15 million, the 8 span 220 metres long ‘Brooklyn Sunshine Triangle Bridge‘ enabled freight services from the north and west of Victoria to pass through Melbourne, removing the need for trains to stop at Tottenham Yard and reverse direction.

Regional Rail Link kicks off

August 27 saw the media circus roll into Southern Cross Station, as state and federal politicians turned the first sod for the Regional Rail Link project.

The crowd of minders having arrived an hour earlier, including a construction worker charged with making sure the pile driver was spotless.

The politicians and media scrum had to make their way through the old Spencer Street subway.

Where they emerged at the future platform 15/16.

Victorian Premier John Brumby, Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and Victorian Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky were there.

Where they slowly raised and lowered a pile driver head.

I also headed out to Wyndham Vale, where a long empty strip of land marked the site of the future station.

Dennis Family Homes, developer of the Manor Lakes estate, couldn’t believe their luck – their advertised ‘transport link’ was actually happening.

The new line opened to passengers in June 2015.

Around Melbourne and Geelong

At first glance Southern Cross Station didn’t look that different, with promotional stands blocking the main entrance.

But from up top the view was different – one could enjoy a drink in the bar, as late evening commuters trickle in.

The bar and food count on level 1 of the Collins Street concourse closed in 2011, replaced by a Woolworths supermarket.

Out in the boondocks of Campbellfield I crossed over the Western Ring Road onboard an Upfield line train.

The freeway has gone from six to eight lanes, upgraded by the ‘Tulla Sydney Alliance’ in May 2013 but the railway line is still single track, despite the removal of the nearby Camp Road level crossing in 2018.

While on the western edge of Geelong I drove out to the newly developed ‘Highview Estate’ in Highton, where houses were taking over the Barrabool Hills.

Today the fields are covered with houses, with many of the residents probably driving to Melbourne for work via the recently completed Geelong Ring Road.

And a few trains

August 2009 saw me take a ride around suburban Melbourne with Steamrail Victoria, with our seam train visiting Cranbourne, Upfield, Craigieburn and Williamstown.

I also followed a Connex Melbourne train through the open countryside of the Ballarat line.

The train was bound for the Alstom Ballarat workshops for upgrades to the passenger information and CCTV systems.

Also in Ballarat I found two accident damaged Comeng suburban trains.

Both have since been scrapped – carriage 1109T having been damaged in the 2002 Epping collision while carriage 553M was destroyed by fire in 2002.

And to finish – we see the Maryvale paper train waiting at North Dynon, before another trip east.

And another load of grain headed west from Geelong, with a rainbow overhead.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Five roads meet at the level crossing:

• High Street
• Edwardes Street
• Broadway
• Cheddar Road
• Spring Street

Forming a tangle of roads at the level crossing.

Way back in the 1980s the Railway Construction and Property Board looked into fixing the mess, and how the government could profit from grade separation.

The Engineering Division has continued to perform a wide range of tasks during 1981-82, including the examination of feasible options for incorporating commercial development, over railway tracks to be lowered, as a consequence of a proposed grade separation of the railway and High Street at Reservoir.

As did the Road Construction Authority, but they decided to kick the can down the road.

Options for improvements to Reservoir Rail Level Crossing and associated intersections were released in a Discussion Paper in October 1985.

The improvement schemes would reduce the current high traffic congestion levels, unsatisfactory accident record and traffic/pedestrian conflict. The investigation concluded that in the shorter term improvements to traffic movement and safety could be made by low cost at-grade intersection improvements.

Provision of grade separation by lowering the rail lines could follow later.

With VicRoads delivering a $12 million package of intersection upgrades instead.

After two years construction, the Reservoir level crossing project has been completed at a cost of $ 12m. Many improvements have been made to the intersections of Broadway with High Street, Spring Street with Edwards Street and High Street with Cheddar Road and Spring Street.

Linking has been improved between the various public transport modes, with increased commuter car parking for public transport users. The intersection modifications to the four intersections has improved safety for pedestrians and vehicles. For some traffic movements there has been a reduction in delays, particularly during peak periods.

Which were officially opened by Minister for Transport Peter Spyker on 27 April 1992.

It’s only taken 30 years, but work has finally started on grade separating the intersection – with the new viaduct and elevated Reservoir station is due for completion in 2020.

But the interesting part is to look at the long list of other road upgrade projects mentioned in the same 1986 Road Construction Authority annual report – what happened to them?

Western Bypass Investigation

This study to examine the form and precise location of a new road connection between the southern terminal of Tullamarine Freeway and Footscray Road commenced in late 1984.

The ‘Western Bypass’ was rolled into the CityLink project of the 1990s and extended south to the West Gate Freeway, opening in 2000.

Originally built with three lanes in each direction, in 2008 an extra lane opened.

Eastern Corridor – Doncaster to Ringwood

In its early stages the Metropolitan Roads Access Study (METRAS) identified traffic congestion, together with the associated environmental and safety effects both on arterial and local roads, as a major issue in the Eastern Corridor.

One possible traffic management option to relieve these problems was seen to be the development of an arterial road along the Eastern Road Reservation. This road could extend from the Eastern Freeway Terminal at Doncaster Road to the Maroondah Highway at Mt Dandenong Road, Ringwood.

The Eastern Freeway extension was opened to Springvale Road in 1997.

Then extended to Ringwood in 2008 as part of the EastLink.

Pascoe Vale Road Relief Study (PVRRS)

In September 1985, the Minister for Transport announced his support for the Pascoe Vale Road Relief Study recommendation that a 7.8 km section of the R5 outer ring route be constructed between Sharps Road, Tullamarine and Mahoneys Road, Fawkner.

Opened in 1992 as the first section of the Western Ring Road.

Then an extra lane added in 2009.

Calder Highway – Diggers Rest to Gisborne

Investigations into the future development of the Calder Highway between Diggers Rest and Gisborne were completed in early 1986. This work included a review of initial proposals in the light of submissions received from affected property owners, concerned Shire councils and various government agencies. A summary of the review, together with an outline of the Adopted Proposal for the duplication of the highway with provision for long term development to freeway standards, was released in May 1986.

The Diggers Rest bypass was opened in 1993, duplication to Kyneton completed in 2003, and to Bendigo by 2009.

Princes Highway West – Dennington to lllowa

A summary of investigations into the future development of this section of the Princes Highway was released to affected property owners, Council and various government agencies in October 1985. This section of the highway has low geometric standards and a higher than average accident rate, and the pavement will require major rehabilitation in a few years time if it is to be retained for State highway traffic.

The proposed realignment, which makes use of a portion of the closed Dennington to Port Fairy railway line would improve overtaking opportunities and increase safety by reducing the frustration of drivers and the conflict between through traffic and access to abutting land.

Completed in the 1990s.

That’s five out of five road projects completed, with three of them having received further expansion since they were initially completed.

Sources

• Road Construction Authority 1986 annual report

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Let us start by taking a look at the incomplete interchange between the Tullamarine Freeway and the Western Ring Road at Airport West.

The intent of the initial stage of the Western Ring Road was to provide an alternate truck route between the Hume Highway and the Melbourne CBD, so the first section to open linked the Tullamarine Freeway and Pascoe Vale Road in 1992, followed by Pascoe Vale Road to Sydney Road in 1993.

I have hazy memories of childhood visits to Melbourne Airport, where on the way we passed beneath the incomplete freeway interchange.

In the years that followed, further sections of the Ring Road were opened in a piecemeal fashion:

• 1994: Greenborough Bypass to Plenty Road,
• July 1995: Ballarat Road to Keilor Park Drive,
• March 1996: Boundary Road to Ballarat Road,
• October 1996: Princes Freeway to Boundary Road.
• December 1996: Calder Freeway to Keilor Park Drive

As you can expect, a ring road that doesn’t form a complete ring isn’t very useful, so for many years the Tullamarine Freeway interchange remained in the state seen above.

Change finally came in 1997 when the ‘missing link’ of the Western Ring Road opened between the Tullamarine Freeway and the Calder Freeway, and the interchange took on a form that lasted just on 15 years.

The round of expansion in 1997 added new ramps to/from Melbourne Airport and the Western Ring Road towards Altona, the second of two 40 km/h limited ‘cloverleaf‘ ramps, and a pair of bridges to carry the collector/distributor lanes for southbound Ring Road traffic accessing the Tullamarine Freeway.

In the years that followed, the explosive growth in traffic using the Ring Road overwhelmed the interchange, in 2013 the interchange was expanded yet again as part of the M80 Ring Road upgrade project.

Changes to the interchange included:

• widening the Western Ring Road from two to four lanes in each direction,
• replacing the cloverleaf carrying southbound traffic from the Tullamarine Freeway to the westbound Ring Road by a new ramp flying over the top of the rest of the interchange,
• the southbound collector/distributor lane arrangement was replaced by a simpler ‘exit only’ setup,
• a new flyover was introduced north of the interchange to untangle northbound traffic bound for the Pascoe Vale Road exit from through traffic.

I wonder how long the current Western Ring Road interchange will remain in place, before it too becomes overwhelmed by induced traffic?

Footnote

In 2001 Paul Mees published the paper ‘The short term effects of Melbourne’s Western Ring Road‘ examined the effects of the freeway opening on economic growth in Melbourne’s west.

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The story starts back in the 1990s, when the Western Ring Road was built. The first section of the freeway opened to traffic in 1992, with further sections being progressively opened to traffic, with the last section being completed in 1999. The majority of the road had two lanes in each direction.

The exception being a few short sections near interchanges, where three lanes were provided.

Widening of the road commenced in 2009 as part of a $2.25 billion dollar project, with three sections completed so far:

• Calder Freeway to Sydney Road, completed by the ‘Tulla Sydney Alliance’ in May 2013
• Western Highway to Sunshine Avenue, completed October 2013
• Edgars Road to Plenty Road, completed April 2014

These sections are now three to four lanes wide, leaving four sections of freeway in the pipeline for future upgrades:

• Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway
• Princes Highway to Western Highway
• Sydney Road to Edgar Road
• Plenty Road to Greensborough Highway

Money from the Commonwealth Government was allocated to widening the Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway segment in 2013, but in April 2014 the Abbott Government diverted the funding to the since-aborted East West Link project.

Federal government diverts ring road funding to East West Link
James Massola, Josh Gordon
April 28, 2014

State Transport Minister Terry Mulder and former federal transport minister Anthony Albanese last year promised that motorists travelling on the M80 Ring Road between Sunshine Avenue and Ballarat Road would enjoy a safer ride, with a third lane in each direction to improve traffic flows.

It followed an announcement in the 2013 federal budget setting aside an extra $525 million to complete the project, which was expected to cost $2.25 billion.

The ramifications of the decision to divert $500 million from the project into the second stage of the East West Link are unclear. A final section of the project, upgrading the Metropolitan Ring Road between Edgars Road and Plenty Road, was due to be completed by mid-2014.

So this leaves us in the state we are two – two lanes in each direction on the Western Ring Road between Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway, and Tony Abbott saying $1.5 billion in promised federal funding to Victoria is now in a “locked box“.

Some movement

I first started writing this post back a few months ago, but now it is out of date – on May 29 the Abbott Government announced that they would chip in $150 million towards the upgrade of the forgotten section of the Western Ring Road – matching the $150 million already committed by the State Government to widen the road to three lanes, as well as installing overhead variable speed limit signs.

Footnote

In 2001 transport and planning academic Paul Mees published the short paper The short term effects of Melbourne’s Western Ring Road, in which he analysed the claimed economic benefits delivered by the construction of the freeway.

Given the geography of the area, I can’t imagine getting around Melbourne’s west without the Ring Road, but I still wonder how long it will take until the road lobby calls out for yet more lanes to be added.

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A closer look at the Melways shows that a direct alignment through the suburbs of Ardeer and Sunshine West is possible: an electrical transmission line cuts right through the middle of the suburb, with a linear park making use of the otherwise idle land.

Down at ground level the space for a freeway is still there: this is looking south from Glengala Road.

Turning to the north, only a single house blocks the open alignment: 164 Glengala Road, Sunshine West.

A check of the Land Victoria maps shows that this house has a conventional Residential 1 Zone (R1Z) applied to it, with the rest of the open reserve coming under the Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ).

So with all this wide open space, why wasn’t the Western Ring Road built straight down the middle? To answer that question, I dug through my collection of old Melbourne street directories – as well as showing how much the city has grown, they often depict freeway proposals that never get built.

I hit paydirt in Edition 26 of the UBD directory, dated 1983, with map 68 showing a big dotted line running through the middle of Sunshine West and Ardeer.

Digging back further to the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan, the alignment of the Western Ring Road was also visible, as part of the proposed F3 and F5 freeways.

So when was the alignment through the middle of the suburbia abandoned, replaced by a longer route through empty paddocks?

I found a lead in the 30 November 1989 edition of the Government Gazette, which introduced the Environmental Effects Statement approval process for the Western Ring Road. It detailed how the proposed freeway was to follow the existing F3 and F5 reservations already included in the planning schemes of the Cities of Werribee, Sunshine and Keilor – but not through Ardeer.

While the 1988/89 annual report for the Road Construction Authority gave some further context.

A planning investigation to prepare an Environmental Effects Statement for the Sunshine Keilor section of the Western Ring Road began in October 1988. A number of specialist investigations (some by consultants) are being done to gain information on existing and future traffic, noise, air quality, landscape, archaeology, flora and fauna and sociology.

Consultation is integral with the study. A mailing list has been prepared of more than 3,000, after 28,000 brochures were distributed to all property owners and occupiers in the area. Team members have met with many groups and individuals and public displays of all options were shown.

Minister for Transport, Mr Jim Kennan, with one of the community displays showing alternatives for the Western Ring Road at Ardeer

The major issues are the severance of Ardeer by the existing reservation, the need to minimise impact of the Derrimut Grasslands, and whether or not an interchange should be provided with the Calder Highway. Following evaluations, the Minister for Transport announced that the reservation through Ardeer would be dropped in favour of an alternative to the west. This was strongly supported by the community. The remaining issues will be resolved through the environmental process.

I then paid a visit to the State Library of Victoria to find the Environmental Effects Statement itself – in particular, that for the Sunshine to Keilor section of the Western Ring Road.

In ‘Supplementary Report No. 12’ dated November 1989, I found the following line:

The current Proposed Main Road reservation through Ardeer is to be deleted as the reservation width is considered insufficient to provide for a major arterial road.

It then goes on to recommend new usages of the now unneeded land:

The length of the reservation between the St Albans rail line and Derrimut is to be rezoned as follows:

(i). The section adjacent to Public Open Space reservations to the east and north of Hulett Street – to Public Open Space reservation.
(ii). The section adjacent to General Industrial Zone immediately north of Western Highway – to General Industrial Zone.
(iii). In Ardeer, from the Western Highway to Forrest Street amended to Proposed Secondary Road. An area immediately north of Forrest Street amended to Reserved Living.
(iv). From Ridgeway Parade southwards to Dalton Street rezoned to Reserved Living to allow residential development to take place subject to satisfactory road access arrangements. The present Proposed Secondary Road reservation (for the extension of Wright Street) will be retained until the long term development of the land is determined.
(v). South of Dalton Street a strip of land fronting Nicholson Parade is proposed to be rezoned to Reserved Living. This will ensure that the Sunshine West neighbourhood is not affected by industrial traffic intrusion if land to the west is developed for industry. The remainder of the old road reservation is proposed to be rezoned as Reserved Light Industrial to reflect present zoning to the west.

Item (iii) above will enable the provision of a north-south access route which will greatly improve accessibility in this area, currently severely limited by lack of crossing opportunities over the rail line and Kororoit Creek.

The Council has yet to carry out detailed traffic and planning studies for Ardeer/Sunshine West. These may show the need for different zones or reservations in the area. Designation of the land as Reserved Living generally preserves these options. If the Council decides that a road is not required for it’s purposes on the existing reservation north of Forrest Street, the land would revert to its underlying zoning of Reserved Living; or some such other reservation that the Council may decide upon. Before rezoning of the land is approved, the potential for contamination of the site will be assessed.

With the route of the Western Ring Road through Ardeer now decided, construction started in the early 1990s, with the Keilor Park Drive to Western Highway section opening in July 1995, and the Western Highway to Boundary Road, Laverton segment in March 1996.

As for the land zoning changes, the Government Gazette dated 19 January 1995 detailed the final abandonment of the old freeway route.

Planning and Environment Act 1987
NOTICE OF AMENDMENT TO A PLANNING SCHEME

The Brimbank City Council, Sunshine Office has prepared Amendment L79 to the Sunshine Planning Scheme. This amendment proposes to change the planning scheme by rezoning land along part of the abandoned Western Ring Road Reservation as follows.

(1) Parkland between Ridgeway Parade and Wright Street from Proposed Main Road Reservation to Public Open Space Reservation.
(2) Existing residential property at 164 Glengala Road from Proposed Main Road Reservation to Proposed Public Open Space Reservation.
(3) Part of Glengala Road from Proposed Main Road Reservation to Secondary Road Reservation.
(4) Existing residential properties in Hall Street and Lachlan Road from Proposed Main Road Reservation to Residential C Zone.
(5) Vacant land in Wright Street, Adina Court, Yaralla Count and Dalton Street from Proposed Main Road and Proposed Secondary Road Reservations to Reserved Living Zone.
(6) Vacant land in Adina Court from Proposed Main Road Reservation and Reserved Living Zones to Proposed Secondary Road Reservation.
(7) Vacant land in Fremont Parade and Marti Court from Proposed Main Road Reservation to Residential C Zone.

This amendment can be inspected at the Brimbank City Council, Sunshine Office, Alexandra Avenue, Sunshine or the Department for Planning and Development (Plan Inspection Section, Ground Floor, the Olderfleet Buildings, 477 Collins Street, Melbourne) and will be available for inspection during office hours by any person free of charge. Submissions about the amendment must be sent to the Urban Planning Department, Brimbank City Council, Sunshine Office, Municipal Offices, Alexandra Avenue, Sunshine 3020 by Monday, 20 February 1995.

So that wraps up everything up, including the little house by itself at 164 Glengala Road, Sunshine West.

Further reading

• The short term effects of Melbourne’s Western Ring Road: a paper by Paul Mees

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