In short:
Labor has pledged $195 million to duplicate part of Point Cook Road after decades of holding the area. But some locals say the long-awaited upgrade may have come 25 years too late.
$195M Election Promise Under Scrutiny
The Premier’s promise to duplicate a portion of Point Cook Road has been met with scepticism by residents in Altona Meadows, Seabrook and Point Cook.
Premier Ben Carroll announced his new-look Labor government would splash out $195 million to widen Point Cook Road between Central Avenue and Dunnings Road on 3 September while visiting the new Ison Road connection.
The proposal would involve converting that stretch of the thoroughfare from two lanes to four, while upgrading four intersections.
Carroll said planning works would start early next year, with construction kicking off sometime next term.
“Locals spend too long stuck in traffic in either direction on Point Cook Road, with the road carrying more traffic than it was built for,” he said.
“I want to help working people in the west spend less time on the road and more time where they need to be,” Mr Carroll said.
Despite the magnitude of the election pledge, the government has received plenty of backlash from locals.
(Works on the Central Avenue and Point Cook Road intersection, where the proposed duplication would begin, earlier this year).
Timing And Practicality Questioned
Seabrook resident Raymond Wright, who has lived in the area since 1984, said the proposal sounded nice on paper but was impractical and Labor was late to the party.
“I have lived on or one street away from Point Cook Road for 42 years and people have been calling for this since the turn of the millennium,” he said.
“While it sounds nice in theory, I doubt it is even feasible at this stage due to how little room is left on either side of the existing road.
“With two service stations, a primary school and side roads very close to the main road itself, I think they have missed the boat on this one.
“This promise would have made much more sense 25 years ago.”
The pledge comes as the Labor Government is already carrying out an upgrade of the Point Cook Road and Central Avenue intersection.
Carroll also committed to widening Bolton Road to four lanes between Ballan and McGrath roads, and Ballan Road to four lanes between Bolton Road and Windsor Avenue, in Wyndham Vale.
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