Moving Melton

Christies Road connects Caroline Springs town centre, Caroline Springs train station, Horizon 3023 industrial park and the Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall.

Caroline Springs Boulevard is a duplicated four-lane road north of Ballarat Road, however, Christies Road south of Ballarat Road is a single carriageway and acts as a major bottleneck for commuters and industry accessing the Western Highway.

The commercial Horizon 3023 estate next to Caroline Springs station will ultimately be home to as much as 400,000 sq m of commercial and industrial property. Amazon, Myer, Scalzo Foods, Electrolux and Hello Fresh have all moved into the estate. The upgrade of Christies Road is critical to supporting commercial investment and the creation of local jobs.

Congestion

Christies Road, south of Ballarat Road, currently carries approximately 22,300 vehicles per day and traffic modelling commissioned by Council indicates that this will increase to over 28,500 vehicles by 2031.

Safety

In the five-year period between 2015 and 2019 (pre-COVID), there were 18 traffic accidents recorded on the Christies Road between Ballarat Road and Caroline Station, including four serious crashes. There are community concerns with the mix of large trucks accessing industrial warehouses and Melbourne’s largest tip, and commuters accessing their local train station.

Economic analysis

Independent analysis estimates the cost of Christies Road upgrade and bridge duplication to be approximately $80 million.

Solution

• Duplication of Christies Road from Ballarat Road to Caroline Springs Station

• Additional interchange ramps to the Western Highway

• New bike and pedestrian paths on both sides