By Laura Michell
Hume councillors have labelled a $125 million upgrade to the Donnybrook Road and Mitchell Street intersection as a “Band-Aid” solution that will do little to improve congestion.
The funding – announced on Monday, March 24 by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and state Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams – will be used to to remove the roundabout on Donnybrook Road at the entrance to the Hume Freeway and replace it with traffic lights. Extra lanes will be added at the intersection and a new bridge will be built over Kalkallo Creek.
Speaking during a Hume council meeting later that day, councillor Daniel English said the funding was welcome but was not a solution to congestion on Donnybrook Road.
“It is really good to hear that the prime minister has announced $125 million, but it is just a Band-Aid,” he said.
“The bottleneck is not going to be fixed.
“Let’s get it straight, it is not a duplication.”
Cr Jim Overend questioned how replacing the roundabout alone would improve travel times.
[This is a massive announcement for very little reward,” he said.
“We are growing and we need the infrastructure. We don’t need Band-Aid solutions.”
The comments came as council considered its submission to Major Road Projects Victoria on upgrade of Donnybrook Road.
In its submission, council called for stage one of the duplication to take place between the northern exit of the Hume Freeway (east of Polaris Road) and Mitchell Street, which stage two to continue the duplication up to Donnybrook station.
Cr Ally Watson said congestion on Donnybrook Road was so bad that Kalkallo residents had to leave for work and school hours earlier than they should “in the hope” of getting there on time.
She said people were selling their “dream homes” and leaving the area because the congestion was too much, while expectant mothers feared going into labour during peak traffic.
“The bridge over the [Hume] freeway is a single lane each way creating a frustrating bottleneck,” she said.
“No matter which time of the day you go, or which direction you are heading, banked up traffic is a given.”
