By Laura Michell
Hume council will advocate for state and federal funding for a left-turn slip lane at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Hume Highway in Craigieburn.
Councillor Daniel English asked council officers to evaluate the benefits of a left-turn slip lane on the western side of the intersection during the December council meeting.
Currently, three of the four points at the intersection have left slip lanes, significantly improving traffic flow. The Grand Boulevard approach to the intersection does not have a dedicate left-turn lane.
A report to the Monday, March 24 council meeting stated that the addition of a slip lane on the intersection’s western approach would reduce long delays and queues of traffic.
The report stated that traffic monitoring conducted by council on Thursday, December 17, found 181 vehicles turned left from Grand Boulevard onto the Hume Highway between 8am and 9am, with 222 vehicles completing the same turn between 4.45pm and 5.45pm.
The report stated that a 26-vehicle queue formed on Grand Boulevard between 4.45pm and 5.45pm as traffic waited to move through the intersection.
“The Hume Highway, Grand Boulevard and Amaroo Road traffic signal intersection is congested and operating at capacity,” the report stated.
“The left-turn shares a lane with a very heavy through movement reducing left-turning opportunity resulting in long delays and queues.”
Council officers found that left-turn delays could be reduced from 94.2 seconds to 15.6 seconds if the slip lane was added.
“Improved capacity at the Grand Boulevard-Hume Highway intersection is likely to reduce compliance issues associated with traffic seeking to avoid the intersection, such as motorists performing illegal right-turns and U-turns at the Mt Ridley Road and Hume Highway intersection,” the report stated.
Officers said the slip lane would cost $1.3 million but was the responsibility of the Department of Transport and Planning.
Cr English said he looked forward to council advocating strongly for the upgrade.
