Bypass set for holiday snarls

Andrew Mathieson
VISITING motorists face long delays heading to the Surf Coast this summer amid work on the fourth stage of Geelong’s bypass, Vicroads has warned.
The third stage of the bypass opened to traffic at the Princes Highway in Waurn Ponds earlier this year but works nearby to link the project to Anglesea Road threaten a bottleneck during peak holiday traffic.
The major component of stage four, a bridge over the Princes Highway, has led to work reducing the link to the Surf Coast to one lane on some sections of Anglesea Road.
Separate upgrade work has closed Mount Duneed Road between Surf Coast Highway and Anglesea Road, presenting another barrier to holiday makers trying to reach Torquay and Jan Juc.
Vicroads Geelong bypass manager Tony Hedley said the roads authority would monitor surges in traffic during the region’s busiest traffic period of the year.
“We hope it is useable to traffic even if the work isn’t completely finished,” he said.
Mr Hedley said Vicroads expected to complete a new roundabout under construction at the intersection of Anglesea and Mt Duneed roads by Christmas.
The overpass and other major works in stage four would not be complete until the end of 2010.
Mr Hedley expected motorists using Geelong’s bypass for the first time this summer to test the region’s road networks.
“It will move the traffic patterns around a bit to what we have had previously – it’s something we are still progressively planning throughout the year as the traffic builds up through the summer break,” he said.
Visitors to the region have previously followed the Princes Highway down Melbourne Road, Latrobe Terrace, across James Harrison Bridge and on to Surf Coast Highway.
The new exit from the ring road is more than three kilometres from Surf Coast Highway.
Signs instead direct traffic to Anglesea Road, which is a few hundred metres away but avoids a direct route to Torquay.
Mr Hedley said motorists would need to expect further lane closures from “time to time” but Vicroads would restrict construction to minimise traffic impacts.