Thompsons Road upgrade in Melbourne reaches new milestone

The Thompsons Road upgrade project in Melbourne, Australia, is set to offer improved journeys to drivers travelling from Carrum and Cranbourne after reaching several major construction milestones.

Construction workers will use 21 concrete beams weighing 45t to form the new southern bridge over the Cranbourne train line, which is a critical east-west connection for the growing south-east and the wider freight network.

Two three-lane bridges will run in both directions over the train line once the second bridge is opened.

Thompsons Road will also be duplicated across the 10.7km section.

The Thompsons Road / Cranbourne rail line was separated in June last year when the northern bridge was opened to traffic.

New plans will see the Thompsons Road and Dandenong-Frankston Road intersection upgraded three years earlier than originally scheduled.

Traffic signals will also be installed at the intersection to deal with queues up to 1.5km-long on Dandenong-Frankston Road and more than 700m on Thompsons Road during peak travel periods.

Approximately 60,000 vehicles cross the intersection daily.

A number of local roads affected by the Thompsons Road upgrade have recently been reopened, including Lyndhurst Boulevard, Lesdon Avenue and Stoneleigh Road.

Acting minister for transport infrastructure Jaala Pulford said: “We’re powering ahead with the Thompsons Road Upgrade, removing the level crossing in the middle of the year and now getting on with the second bridge to open up more lanes and relieve congestion.

“Fast-tracking the upgrade of this intersection will minimise disruptions to drivers, remove this notorious bottleneck and ensure when we’re done with the Thompsons Road Upgrade, we’re done for good.”