Harper Sercombe
Works on the Mickleham Road upgrade are ramping up through winter.
Construction to protect part of a pipeline to help secure Melbourne Airport’s jet fuel supply is now underway, as part of the road upgrade.
Specialised crews will add significant layers of protection to about 665 metres of the high-pressure jet fuel pipeline running underneath Somerton Road, where upgrades take place for the Somerton Road-Mickleham roads roundabout to a signalised intersection with additional lanes and dedicated turning lanes.
Progressive dayworks will take place over several months to minimise disruption for the more than 25,000 people that travel on Mickleham Road every day.
Trenches up to 2.5 metres deep will be excavated and to allow crews to add protective layers to the existing fuel line under and near Mickleham Road, to ensure an uninterrupted supply of jet fuel to the Melbourne Airport.
The complex nature of these works will require crews to navigate in and around the temporary dual-lane Somerton Road roundabout.
“The extensive work we’re doing now to protect and relocate essential underground services is paving the way for this important upgrade to Mickleham Road,” Major Road Projects Victoria program director Adrian Furner said.
As part of the Mickleham Road upgrade, works are also underway to relocate a vast array of critical underground services including telecommunications, power, gas and drainage infrastructure servicing thousands of homes and businesses across Melbourne’s north.
The protection and relocation of underground services beneath Mickleham and Somerton roads is a large and complex process involving carefully moving and reconnecting almost 10 kilometres of wires, cables and pipes.
The Victorian and federal governments have invested $222 million to build stage one of the Mickleham Road upgrade.
Major works began in March, with completion expected in 2025.
