Tullamarine Freeway

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Tullamarine Freeway

Length	13 km
General direction	Northwest-Southeast
From	Melbourne Airport
To	Pascoe Vale
Via	Gladstone Park, Essendon
Established	1960s

Tullamarine Freeway is a Melbourne freeway linking the city's Melbourne Airport to the CBD.

1 History
- 1.1 Current projects
2 Interchanges
3 External links

[edit] History

Tullamarine Freeway is one of the oldest freeways in Melbourne. It was originally constructed in 1968-1970. From the airport, it replaces Lancefield Road (now Melrose Drive), Tullamarine and parts of Bulla Road, Essendon. A spur was constructed to link with the Calder Highway, Airport West. From Essendon, a new section heading east to Pascoe Vale and then south along the Moonee Ponds Creek to Mt Alexander Road, Flemington replaced Mt Alexander Road as the main thoroughfare to the city.

The freeway was initially designated F-81 the whole stretch from Tullamarine to Flemington. The short Calder Highway link was designated Calder Freeway (F-90).

With its completion, citybound heavy vehicles from Hume Highway are diverted here via Pascoe Vale Road. In the 1990s with the completion of Western Ring Road, traffic increased tremendously. It was only relieved by the completion of CityLink which widened the freeway to 8 lanes and extends it to the West Gate Freeway. The improved sections are now tolled.

[edit] Current projects

At present the Calder Freeway interchange is undergoing dramatic roadworks to alleviate congestion. Construction is expected to be completed by late 2007, with the end result being the demolition of two offramps, an additional two lanes inbound, and dedicated Bulla Road-Calder Freeway spurs to eliminate weaving.

[edit] Interchanges

Heading through the "Sound Tube" on the Tullamarine Freeway

The Tullamarine Freeway is signed as Metro 43 in its entirety from the Airport to Essendon and onwards as CityLink. It the gains Metro 40 and State 79 shields at the interchange with the Calder Freeway in Essendon, loses Metro 40 at the Bell Street ramps in Strathmore, and loses State 79 at the Mt. Alexander Road/Racecourse Road overpass in Flemington. The interchanges are:

Sunbury Road (C743), Melbourne Airport: bi-directional
Mickleham Road , Gladstone Park: bi-directional
Western Ring Road , Gladstone Park: bi-directional
Melrose Drive, Airport West: city-bound only
Essendon Airport/English Street, Airport West: bi-directional
Calder Freeway , Essendon: bi-directional (limited)
- this interchange currently under re-construction
Bulla Road , Essendon: bi-directional
Pascoe Vale Road /Bell Street , Strathmore: bi-directional (limited)