Motorists’ Christmas present Bypass stages set for drivers

Andrew Mathieson
MOTORISTS will drive on Geelong’s bypass before the end of the year, Vicroads has told the Independent.
Vicroads’ project manager Tony Hedley said the first two stages of the bypass to the Midland and Hamilton highways would open after the completion of this month’s road-sealing work.
However, motorists would have to wait until the end of the next year for completion of the third stage to the Princes Highway at Waurn Ponds, he said.
Vicroads delayed opening the first two stages earlier this year for about six months after cold and wet weather prevented road sealing.
“We were pushing for March-April to get the final seal on section one right through to the Midland Highway but we didn’t have the weather window that we needed for a month to six weeks, so we made the decision to postpone it until the end of this year,” Mr Hedley said.
“That operation, with the weather improving, is gearing up now and we’ll get on with the sealing this month and into next.”
Mr Hedley said sealing work required dry weather with temperatures of at least 20C.
Other work before the stages opened included landscaping and line marking, he said.
Mr Hedley believed the delay in opening the stages had a silver lining.
Finishing the work earlier this year would probably have led to the road breaking up this summer, he said.
“We were pushing hard to see whether we could get there and we made a decision not to proceed,” he said.
“In hindsight, I can say that was the right decision.”
Mr Hedley said savings in repairs on the $380 million project would run into millions of dollars over the next 10 to 15 years.
“We’ve been able to avoid nightmare scenarios,” he said.
Mr Hedley expected Vicroads to complete the final leg of the bypass by the end of next year.
Work would then begin on a fourth stage linking the bypass to Anglesea Road.
Mr Hedley said Vicroads had preliminary planning for a link from Anglesea Road to Surf Coast Highway but state and federal governments had yet to make funding commitments.
“That’s something that’s in the planning stages and is tied in with the Armstrong Creek growth area,” he said.