Archive, Industry News

Work starts early on Nagambie bypass

Work starts on Nagambie Bypass in Victoria, which will give trucking industry a significant productivity boost

March 17, 2010

Work on a new route to allow trucks to bypass the regional Victorian town Nagambie has begun ahead of schedule.

Major construction work has started on the 13.5 kilometre Nagambie Bypass, which will be built east of the township to take trucks and trough-traffic away from the town centre.

When completed in 2012, the bypass will allow truck drivers to maintain a consistent 110km/h speed between Melbourne and Shepparton rather than negotiating different speed zones.

“With more than 1900 trucks travelling through Nagambie each day and road freight likely to double over the next 30 years, this bypass will significantly alleviate the impact on the town centre,” Victorian Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas says.

He says boom gates have already been installed at a busy level crossing to improve local road and rail safety in Nagambie.

“The Racecourse Road level crossing is the first crossing to have boom gates in Nagambie and it is a substantial boost to road and rail safety in the area,” Pallas says.

The next stage of works includes six new bridges and freeway connections.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese welcomed the move to fast-track the route and says it is an important piece of infrastructure.

“The bypass will provide a great boost for transport in the area, including major benefits for the fruit and vegetable-growing industries that depend on the highway for access to interstate and export markets via the national highway,” Albanese says.

The project is jointly funded by the Rudd and Brumby governments, with money coming from the Nation Building Program and the Victorian Transport Plan.

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