The brand-new Mordialloc Freeway opened in Melbourne’s south-east on Sunday, following two years of construction works on the project.
The new nine-kilometre freeway links the Mornington Peninsula Freeway at Springvale Road in Aspendale Gardens to the Dingley Bypass in Dingley Village, creating a non-stop connection from Frankston. It is the first completely new freeway since the completion of the Peninsula Link.
The $523 million project was funded by the Victorian Government and delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria.
Dingley Bypass and Springvale Road will see travel times reduced in both the morning and afternoon peak, with the freeway taking more than 13,000 trucks off nearby arterial roads, giving local roads back to residents.
Additionally, five bridges have been built over Springvale, Governor, Lower Dandenong, Centre Dandenong, and Old Dandenong Roads – with a sixth twin bridge over the Waterways wetlands to also be built.
The project has also supported the use of sustainable construction methods, with 800,000 tonnes of recycled material used. This also includes the world’s first recycled plastic noise walls.
A total of 10,000 noise wall panels have been made with 570 tonnes of plastic waste sourced from a mix of hard plastics, such as milk and shampoo bottles, from kerbside recycling, as well as soft plastics like food packaging.
Recycled plastic has also been used in drainage pipes and to reinforce concrete on the shared walking and cycling path, as well as recycled glass in asphalt, recycled concrete in road base, reclaimed asphalt pavement and landscaping mulch made of pine pallets.
Victoria’s Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said the freeway would get thousands of trucks off local roads.
“It’s fantastic to see the new freeway open ahead of schedule and just in time for the summer holidays – allowing drivers in the south east to get home safer and sooner,” Ms Allan said.
Since opening on Sunday 21 November, the freeway will open progressively.
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