Calder Freeway

Calder Freeway
Calder Freeway facing Mount Macedon
Formerly
Length 113 km (70 mi)
Direction Northwest - Southeast
From Calder Highway,
Ravenswood South, Victoria
Major suburbs Harcourt, Malmsbury, Kyneton, Woodend, Macedon, Gisborne, Diggers Rest, Sunbury
To Tullamarine Freeway,
Niddrie, Melbourne
Major junctions Midland Highway
Pyrenees Highway
Melton Highway
Western Ring Road

for full list see exits and interchanges

Calder Freeway is a freeway linking Melbourne to Ravenswood South in Victoria, Australia, superseding stretches of the Calder Highway. Originally just a short spur of the Tullamarine Freeway linking to the Calder Highway in Keilor in suburban Melbourne, it has been extended in phases to Ravenswood South subsuming all the older Calder Highway stretches. It continues beyond as Calder Highway through to Bendigo and to Mildura. The Victorian Government completed the duplication of the Calder Highway from Melbourne to Bendigo to Freeway conditions on 20 April 2009, several months earlier than expected.

Contents

History

The Calder Highway was named after William Calder, who was chairman of the Victorian road construction authority formerly known as the Country Roads Board (Victoria) from 1913 to 1928. The CRB is today known as VicRoads.

The highway was originally allocated a National Route 79 shield. With Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s this was altered to a designation for the majority highway portion, and a designation for the remaining freeway portion into Melbourne.

Originally, the Calder Highway (an undivided highway) started at the end of Keilor Rd in Niddrie. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the road was upgraded to Freeway standard together with the Tullamarine Freeway, ending in Keilor East and rejoining the Calder Highway. By the early 1980s the Freeway was extended to Keilor and then rejoined the Calder highway. However, it was not until the 1990s that work began to duplicate the rest of the highway to Bendigo.

The Calder Highway between the Melton Highway and the Western Ring Road is shown in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan as part of the F4 Freeway corridor, which extends past the Tullamarine Freeway and Bell Street to Templestowe.

Route

At Ravenswood South, the Calder Highway, becomes the Calder Freeway, , adopting freeway standards, with two lanes running either way (three inside Melbourne) and begins bypassing most of the towns the old alignment of the highway used to serve. Former bypassed sections of the Calder Highway are generally designated sequentially from to , or (oddly enough) still keep the old shield (within suburban Melbourne).

The north-western end of the freeway is also duplexed with the until south of Harcourt where the Midland Highway resumes south-westerly to the major regional centres of Ballarat, and Geelong.

Towns bypassed by, but still accessible from, the from this point include:

It gains the shield at the Green Gully Road interchange in Keilor, which continues east onto the Tullamarine Freeway city-bound, along with the old shield.

The freeway ends at the newly reconstructed interchange with the Tullamarine Freeway, the main route from the central business district to Melbourne Airport. Continuing on the Tullamarine Freeway eventually brings drivers onto CityLink, and thus, central Melbourne.

Upgrades

The upgrade of the Calder Highway is a jointly funded project between the Australian and Victorian Governments at an estimated total cost of $404 million. Between Melbourne and Bendigo, the highway has been upgraded to a high standard four lane divided road. Construction was completed on 20 April 2009.

The Calder Highway Upgrade between Kyneton and Ravenswood will be delivered in two sections: Kyneton to Faraday and Faraday to Ravenswood. Construction on both sections is well underway with construction now completed and open to road traffic.

Kyneton to Faraday

Malmsbury Stage
Start Date: 24 November 2005,
Completion Date: April 2008,
Contractor: FRH Group Pty Ltd,
Contract Cost: $153.3 million,
Location: South of Malmsbury East Road to Golden Point Road, Faraday,
Length: 21.2 km
Kyneton North Stage

Duplication of the Calder Highway from Wards Lane, Kyneton to Malmsbury East Rd, Malmsbury was opened to the public in January 2005.

Elphinstone Rail Bridge

The contract for construction of the bridge over the Melbourne to Bendigo Railway was completed in February 2006 by Cut and Fill Pty Ltd. Access to the bridge is now open to traffic now that the Malmsbury Stage is completed.

Malmsbury stage opening

The Malmsbury stage of the freeway is 12 months ahead of schedule, and 15 km of the stage was opened in April 2008 in conjunction with the Pyrenees highway connection. This will extend freeway conditions from just south of Malmsbury to the Pyrenees highway interchange near Elphinstone. The intersection of the existing Calder Highway and Pyrenees Highway connection was altered to favor Pyrenees Hwy traffic, instead of the Old Calder Hwy, to separate traffic going to Castlemaine and Bendigo.

Faraday To Ravenswood

Harcourt South Stage
Start Date: 18 October 2006,
Completion Date: 20 April 2009,
Contractor: Winslow Constructors Pty Ltd,
Contract Cost: $71.7 million,
Location: Golden Point Road, Faraday to the Midland Highway, Harcourt,
Length: 6.6 km
Harcourt North Stage
Start Date: 1 August 2006,
Completion Date: 20 April 2009,
Contractor: Thiess Pty Ltd,
Contract Cost: $52.8 million,
Location: The Midland Highway, Harcourt to Fogarty's Gap Road, Ravenswood,
Length: 6.3 km
Ravenswood Stage

The 6.2 km Ravenswood Stage opened to traffic in May 2005, it runs from Fogartys Gap Road reconnecting with the Calder Highway south of Ravenswood. Key features include 1 bridge, 7 wildlife crossings and a fully equipped rest area for trucks, buses and cars.

For more information visit the VicRoads website

Calder Highway / Calder Alternative Route intersection

Western Ring Road to Melton Highway

VicRoads has completed the widening of the Calder Freeway from the Western Ring Road to Melton Highway. The road was widened from 2 lanes each direction to 3 lanes in each direction. As a result the speed limit is reduced permanently from 100 km/h to 80 km/h. .[1] Confusingly the 80 km/hr limit applies northbound from Keilor Park Drive until the Service Centre at Calder Park, whereas southbound it applies from the Service Centre, until the Green Gully Road bridge. In October 2010, it was announced that as part of a year long trial, the speed limit on this section of freeway will be increased back to 100 km/h in off-peak times (8pm-5am), with 30 variable speed limits to be installed along the stretch of freeway.

Kings Road Interchange Project

VicRoads will extend Kings Road to the Calder Freeway at Taylors Lakes as a part of a $62 million project to reduce the number of at-grade intersections between Sunshine Avenue and Calder Park Drive. This will feature an overpass of Kings Road and a full-diamond interchange allowing local residents to access the freeway to Bendigo and Melbourne, as well as the closure of the Robertsons Road intersection.[2] Major construction will commence late 2010 and is expected to be completed by late 2011.

Exits and Interchanges

Calder Freeway
Northbound exits / intersections Distance to
Bendigo
(km)
Distance to
Melbourne
(km)
Southbound exits / intersections
End Calder Freeway
continues as Calder Highway
to Bendigo
25 126 Start Calder Freeway
from Calder Highway
Maldon
Fogartys Gap Road
Harcourt
Old Calder Highway
continues as 31 120 Harcourt, Castlemaine, Ballarat
Midland Highway
Castlemaine, Harcourt
Midland Highway
continues as
BENDIGO RAIL LINE 31.1 119.9 BENDIGO RAIL LINE
Castlemaine, Metcalfe
Pyrenees Highway
43 108 Metcalfe, Castlemaine
Pyrenees Highway
Malmsbury, Taradale, Elphinstone
Old Calder Highway
Edgecombe
Malmsbury East Road
57 94 Edgecombe
Malmsbury East Road
Malmsbury
Old Calder Highway
Kyneton
Burton Avenue
61 90 Kyneton
Burton Avenue
Kyneton, Heathcote
Edgecombe Road
66 85 Heathcote, Kyneton
Edgecombe Road
Kyneton
Bourke Street
Trio Road
68 83 no exit
Carlsruhe
Springvale Road
73 78 Carlsruhe
Springvale Road
no exit 77 74 Woodend
Macedon-Woodend Road
Woodend, Lancefield
Lancefield-Woodend Road
82 69 Lancefield, Woodend
Lancefield-Woodend Road
BENDIGO RAIL LINE 85 66 BENDIGO RAIL LINE
Woodend, Macedon
Macedon-Woodend Road
89 62 Macedon, Woodend
Macedon-Woodend Road
Macedon
Macedon-Woodend Road
Mount Macedon
Mount Macedon Road
95 56 no exit
Gisborne, Bacchus Marsh
Station Road
Riddells Creek
Station Road
97 54 Riddells Creek
Station Road
Gisborne, Bacchus Marsh, Melton
Station Road
Gisborne
Melbourne Road
Emmeline Drive
100 51 Emmeline Drive
Gisborne
Melbourne Road
Couangalt Road
Mundy Road
106 45 Mundy Road
Couangalt Road
Sunbury
Gap Road
111 40 Sunbury
Gap Road
Diggers Rest, Sunbury
Vineyard Road
116 35 Sunbury, Diggers Rest
Vineyard Road
BENDIGO RAIL LINE 118 33 BENDIGO RAIL LINE
Diggers Rest, Bulla
Bulla-Diggers Rest Road
119.5 31.5 Bulla, Diggers Rest
Bulla-Diggers Rest Road
Toolern Vale
Holden Road
123 28 BP SERVICE CENTRE
BP SERVICE CENTRE
Calder Park
Calder Park Drive
125.5 25.5 Calder Park
Calder Park Drive
Taylors Lakes
Robertsons Road
Road closure expected mid 2012
126.7 24.3 no intersection
Taylors Lakes
Kings Road
Under construction
Expected completion mid 2012
127.3 23.7 Taylors Lakes, Deer Park, Laverton
Kings Road
Under construction
Expected completion mid 2012
St Albans, Sunshine
Sunshine Avenue
129.1 21.9 St Albans, Sunshine
Sunshine Avenue
Taylors Lakes, Melton
Melton Highway
130.2 20.8 no exit
continues as 132.4 18.6 no exit
Keilor, St Albans
Green Gully Road
continues as
no exit 134.1 16.9 Keilor Park, To Geelong
Keilor Park Drive
Keilor, Keilor Park
Keilor Park Drive
135.5 15.5 Seymour, Sydney
Western Ring Road
Geelong, Ballarat, Adelaide
Western Ring Road
Keilor East, Airport West
Woorite Place
136.5 14.5 no exit
Niddrie
Keilor Road
137.5 13.5 Niddrie
McNamara Avenue
Fullarton Road
Start Calder Freeway
from Tullamarine Freeway
138 13 Essendon
Bulla Road
End Calder Freeway
continues as Tullamarine Freeway
to Melbourne

Source

Calder Freeway on Whereis.

See also

References

  1. ^ Gardiner, Ashley (12 June 2008). "Freeway slowdown to ease traffic jams in Melbourne". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23849845-2862,00.html. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  2. ^ Calder Freeway Kings Road Interchange VicRoads 5 October 2009. Retrieved on 1 November 2009.