| Princes Freeway | |
| Princes Freeway at Lara Formerly |
|
| Length | 159 km (99 mi) |
| Direction | West - East |
| From | Geelong Ring Road, Corio, Geelong |
| Major suburbs | Geelong, Little River, Werribee, Warragul, Trafalgar, Moe, Morwell |
| To | Princes Highway, Traralgon, Victoria |
| Allocation | M1 (Australia) |
| Major junctions | Western section Princes Highway Western Ring Road Princes Highway Eastern section Princes Highway Old Princes Highway Strzelecki Highway for full list see Exits & Intersections |
The Princes Freeway is a 159 kilometres (99 mi), 2 section freeway, which links Melbourne to Geelong on the west (47 kilometres (29 mi)) and Morwell on the east (112 kilometres (70 mi)). It continues beyond these extremities as the Princes Highway towards Adelaide to the west and Sydney to the east. The freeway bears the designation M1.
The western section linking Geelong and Melbourne is an important commuter and freight route between the two cities; the eastern section links Melbourne with the Latrobe Valley. The entire freeway is one of the busiest sections of rural highway in Victoria, used by large numbers of freight and commercial vehicles and provides access to tourist attractions in central and east Gippsland. It supports Victoria's rural industries and tourism.
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The western section (also known as Princes Freeway West or Geelong Road) starts from Altona at the West Gate Interchange, where the Western Ring Road and the old Geelong Road can be accessed by off ramps, and ends at Geelong. This section ranges from six lanes (three in each direction) between Geelong and Werribee, to ten lanes near the Ring Road interchange. It is a high quality freeway with a speed limit of 100km/h.
The eastern section (also known as Princes Freeway East) starts from Berwick, a four lane (two lanes in each direction) divided freeway. There are also several highway standard at-grade intersections, most notably between Nar Nar Goon and Longwarry. These intersections are speed limited to 100 km/h, with the only 110 km/h section on the freeway from Longwarry to Morwell. However, traffic still travel through the towns of Yarragon and Trafalgar, therefore urban speed limits apply to these towns (between 60 and 80km/h) where the road reverts to the Princes Highway (though planning for bypasses of these towns are underway).
The western and eastern sections are connected together through the Melbourne suburbs by the West Gate Freeway, CityLink Tollway and the Monash Freeway. These five sections of road together constitute the route M1 which is part of National Highway 1.
The Princes Freeway subsumes and bypasses most sections of the older Princes Highway. Former bypassed sections of the Princes Highway are generally signed with a National Route Alt 1 shield (within eastern Melbourne) or designated from C101 to C104 and C109.
In March 2010 it was announced by the State Government that trucks would be banned from the right-hand lane along a 38-kilometre section of freeway between Geelong and Melbourne. Suggestions of a ban began in 2005 but increased after the fatal 2007 Burnley Tunnel fire that killed three people.[1] The ban was put into place from 1 July 2010 between Kororoit Creek Road, Altona, and Avalon Road, Lara and covers all heavy vehicles weighing more than 4.5 tonnes, except buses and caravans.[2] A fine of $358 applies to those breaking the rules, the ban being a trial before a full roll-out on the other major roads in the state.[3]
| Princes Freeway West (Geelong Road) | |||
| Northbound exits | Exit Number Distance to Melbourne |
Southbound exits | |
| End Princes Freeway West continues as West Gate Freeway to Melbourne |
-- (15km) |
Start Princes Freeway West from West Gate Freeway |
|
| Footscray, Parkville Princes Highway |
W9 (15km) |
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| Adelaide, Sydney Western Ring Road |
W10 (15km) |
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| Williamstown Kororoit Creek Road |
11 (17km) |
Williamstown, Tarneit Kororoit Creek Road |
|
| Tarneit, Deer Park Old Geelong Road Fitzgerald Road |
12 (18km) |
no exit | |
| GEELONG RAIL LINE | -- (20km) |
GEELONG RAIL LINE | |
| Laverton High Street |
13 (21km) |
Altona Meadows Newland Street |
|
| Laverton, Point Cook Point Cook Road via Aviation Road |
14 (22km) |
Point Cook, Laverton Point Cook Road via Central Avenue |
|
| no exit | 15 (23km) |
Point Cook Palmers Road |
|
| Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook Forsyth Road Boardwalk Boulevard |
16 (24km) |
Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing Boardwalk Boulevard Forsyth Road |
|
| Hoppers Crossing, Werribee Princes Highway |
17 (26km) |
Hoppers Crossing, Werribee Princes Highway |
|
| no exit | 19 (31km) |
Werribee Open Range Zoo, Werribee Duncans Road |
|
| Northbound exits | Distance to Melbourne (km) |
Distance to Geelong (km) |
Southbound exits |
| Werribee Princes Highway |
37 | 36 | Werribee Princes Highway |
| Little River, Cocoroc Little River Road South Road |
46 | 27 | Cocoroc, Little River South Road Little River Road |
| no exit | 49 | 24 | Point Wilson Point Wilson Road Argyle Street |
| BP SERVICE CENTRE | 54 | 19 | BP SERVICE CENTRE |
| To Old Melbourne Road, Point Wilson Beach Road |
56 | 17 | Point Wilson, To Old Melbourne Road Beach Road |
| Lara, Avalon Avalon Road |
60 | 13 | Avalon, Lara Avalon Road |
| GEELONG RAIL LINE | 63 | 10 | Corio, Geelong Princes Highway |
| North Shore Shell Parade |
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| GEELONG RAIL LINE | |||
| Start Princes Freeway West from Geelong Ring Road |
End Princes Freeway West continues as Geelong Ring Road to Colac / Warrnambool |
||
Note Exits are numbered to Duncans Road only.
Princes Freeway West on Google Maps.
| Princes Freeway East | |||
| Northbound exits | Exit Number Distance to Melbourne |
Southbound exits | |
| End Princes Freeway East continues as Monash Freeway to Melbourne |
-- (44km) |
Start Princes Freeway East from Monash Freeway |
|
| Dandenong, Berwick Princes Highway |
23 (44km) |
||
| GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | -- (45km) |
GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | |
| Cranbourne, Berwick Clyde Road |
24 (46km) |
Berwick, Cranbourne Clyde Road |
|
| Westbound exits / intersections | Distance to Melbourne (km) |
Distance to Traralgon (km) |
Eastbound exits / intersections |
| no exit | 49 | 116 | Beaconsfield, Officer Princes Highway |
| BP SERVICE CENTRE | 51 | 114 | BP SERVICE CENTRE |
| Cardinia, Officer Cardinia Road |
55 | 110 | Officer, Cardinia Cardinia Road |
| no exit | 58 | 107 | Pakenham, Rythdale McGregor Road |
| Koo Wee Rup, Pakenham Koo Wee Rup Road |
60 | 105 | Pakenham, Koo Wee Rup Koo Wee Rup Road |
| GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | 62 | 103 | GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE |
| Nar Nar Goon, Pakenham Nar Nar Goon Road Princes Highway |
69 | 96 | Pakenham, Nar Nar Goon Princes Highway Nar Nar Goon Road |
| Maryknoll Snell Road |
71 | 94 | Maryknoll Snell Road |
| Tynong, Bunyip State Park Tynong Road Tynong North Road |
73 | 92 | Bunyip State Park, Tynong Tynong North Road Tynong Road |
| Gumbuya Park | 76 | 89 | Gumbuya Park |
| Garfield, Garfield North Garfield Road Garfield North Road |
78 | 87 | Garfield North, Garfield Garfield North Road Garfield Road |
| Tonimbuk Tonimbuk Road |
80 | 85 | Tonimbuk Tonimbuk Road |
| Bunyip Nash Road |
82 | 83 | Bunyip Nash Road |
| Longwarry, Labertouche Sand Road |
88 | 77 | BP SERVICE CENTRE |
| BP SERVICE CENTRE | Labertouche, Longwarry Sand Road |
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| Drouin, Mount Baw Baw Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way) |
93 | 72 | Mount Baw Baw, Drouin Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way) |
| Drouin, Warragul Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way) |
100 | 65 | Warragul, Drouin Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way) |
| GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | ||
| Korumburra, Warragul Warragul-Korumburra Road |
106 | 59 | Warragul, Korumburra Warragul-Korumburra Road |
| Nilma, Noojee Bloomfield Road (Princes Way) |
109 | 56 | Noojee, Nilma Bloomfield Road (Princes Way) |
| Cloverlea, Darnum East-West Road |
113 | 52 | Darnum, Cloverlea East-West Road |
| Start Freeway | 118 | 47 | End Freeway |
| Shady Creek Yarragon-Shady Creek Road |
119 | 46 | Yarragon |
| Yarragon | Shady Creek Yarragon-Shady Creek Road |
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| Willow Grove, Mount Baw Baw Willow Grove Road Thorpdale Trafalgar-Thorpdale Road |
125 | 40 | Willow Grove, Mount Baw Baw Willow Grove Road Thorpdale Trafalgar-Thorpdale Road |
| Trafalgar | 126 | 39 | Trafalgar |
| End Freeway | 128 | 37 | Start Freeway |
| Moe Moe-Glengarry Road via Lloyd Street Link Road |
134 | 31 | Moe Moe-Glengarry Road |
| Moe, Newborough Moe-Glengarry Road |
138 | 27 | Newborough, Glengarry Moe-Glengarry Road |
| Hernes Oak Morwell-Yallourn Road |
142 | 23 | Hernes Oak Morwell-Yallourn Road |
| no exit | 147.5 | 17.5 | Morwell Morwell-Traralgon Road (Princes Drive) |
| Leongatha, Morwell Strzelecki Highway |
148 | 17 | Morwell, Leongatha Strzelecki Highway |
| Churchill, Morwell Monash Way |
153 | 12 | Morwell, Churchill Monash Way |
| GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE | 156 | 9 | GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE |
| Morwell Morwell-Traralgon Road (Princes Drive) |
End Princes Freeway East continues as Princes Highway to Traralgon / Sale |
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| Start Princes Freeway East from Princes Highway |
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Note Exits are numbered to Clyde Road only.
Princes Freeway East on Google Maps.
On Thursday 10 February 2011 a major landslip occurred adjacent to the freeway on the outskirts of Morwell. Although the freeway itself did not disintegrate, the entire M1 Morwell bypass section was closed and will remain so indefinitely; pending a thorough investigation.
Vicroads has completed a final startegy and plans for the M1 Traralgon Bypass. 4 options were put to the public, with Option 2 chosen as the preferred route. Construction is expected to begin in early 2012. East of Traralgon, the A1 between Traralgon and Sale is currently being duplicated and upgraded to M road standard.
The Federal and State Government announced the construction of a new bypass extending 23 kilometres along Geelong's western outskirts from the Princes Freeway in Corio to the Princes Highway in Waurn Ponds. Drivers using the Bypass between Corio and Waurn Ponds will avoid up to 29 sets of traffic lights, with a travel time at freeway speeds of less than 15 minutes compared with the current 25 - 60 minute trip through Geelong. [4]
The Federal Government allocated $186 million in funding[5] with the State Government providing the remainder, giving a total of $380 million.[6] Construction works for Section 1, between Corio and Bell Post Hill commenced in February 2006. Contracts for Section 2, between Hamlyn Heights and Fyansford, commenced in September 2006 and construction of Section 3, between Fyansford and Waurn Ponds, commenced in November 2007. All 3 stages were scheduled for completion in June 2009.
The Pakenham Bypass was the final missing link of a continuous freeway from Melbourne to Gippsland in the East of Victoria (excluding the single sets of traffic lights in the small rural towns of Yarragon and Trafalgar). Federal and State Governments jointly funded construction of the bypass at a cost of $242 million which commenced in April 2005 and was completed on 1 December 2007.[7]The 24km freeway which runs from Beaconsfield to Nar Nar Goon bypasses the townships of Pakenham and Officer and provides an important link between Gippsland and Melbourne.[8]
Sources:
Proposed safety improvements, Princes Freeway East - Nar Nar Goon to Longwarry North, included in the Victorian Government's Auslink 2 funding statement National Transport Links - Growing Victoria's Economy (aka "the Mothership") [1].
Planning for a bypass of Traralgon commenced in 2004 with public hearings being held on route options.[9] It is expected that a bypass will not be needed for many years, as the volume of bypassable traffic on the Princes Highway in Traralgon is relatively low at present,[9] but planning will ensure route will be available in the future.
Proposed duplication of the Princes Highway - Traralgon to Sale, to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009-2014) [2].
Proposed duplication of the Princes Hwy - Waurn Ponds to Colac, to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009-2014) [3].
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