Locals to begin $3B road upgrades in VIC under new partnership model

Major upgrades to four of Melbourne’s busiest suburban routes will begin with local contractors in the new year.

The four intersections to be upgraded are; Childs Road in Mill Park, Fitzsimons Lane in Eltham and Templestowe, Hallam North Road and Heatherton Road in Endeavour Hills, and Lathams Road in Seaford and Carrum Downs.

Early works will start on these projects in January and each project will be completed by local contractors.

Local contractors Ace Infrastructure (Childs Road), BMD Construction (Fitzsimons Lane), Symal Infrastructure (Hallam North and Heatherton Road) and Winslow Infrastructure (Lathams Road) will deliver the projects, with a host of other upgrades in Melbourne and regional Victoria to follow.

In a new partnership approach to road building contracts the State Government has established a panel of 20 prequalified contractors to deliver projects in the $3 billion pipeline.

There is planning underway for more projects which are expected to go into construction next year. This includes; Craigieburn Road in Craigieburn, Pound Road West and Frankston-Dandenong Road Bridge in Dandenong South, and Golf Links Road in Langwarrin South.

The new partnership approach will be used to fast track other vital road projects. It’s estimated these will create more than 4,500 direct Victorian jobs and support a further 11,000 jobs in the Victorian economy.

This move away from public-private partnerships was developed after industry consultation to give opportunity for smaller contractors to access more work.

Future upgrades will be progressively awarded to the pre-qualified contractors using the new model, with project based on their capabilites, capacity, past performance and ability to deliver value-for-money solutions.

Based on the Level Crossing Removal Project model the new approach is intended to help improve collaboration with construction partners.

Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the local construction industry is crucial to our economic recovery and that’s why we’re doing everything we can to create jobs and get shovels in the ground as quickly as possible.

“These vital upgrades to some of our busiest local roads will slash congestion and improve traffic flow for the thousands of drivers who rely on them every day,” Allan said.

Roads Australia CEO Michael Kilgariff said the large pipeline of transport infrastructure projects and their importance to post-COVID economic recovery makes it even more critical for governments and industry to collaborate early in the procurement process.

“This early engagement with industry is a key recommendation in Roads Australia’s recent Procurement Reform Report. We welcome progress towards a collaborative procurement model that allows governments to get value for their infrastructure investment, while ensuring contractors, consultants and suppliers of all sizes have an opportunity to undertake project work.”