VicRoads has made changes to its traffic management around the Beaufort rail bridge upgrade following reports of lengthy backups over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The bridge uses portable traffic lights to alternate east and west lanes across the bridge, which has created a three- to five-minute delay during light traffic hours.
However, on evenings over the long weekend some drivers were experiencing a 30-minute delay and a line of traffic stretched down Beaufort’s main street.
The road agency announced in November that it would start a 12-week, $2.5 million upgrade of the three-lane bridge on the western fringe of Beaufort, which forms part of the Western Highway.
VicRoads north western projects director Nigel Powers said in 2017 that the bridge was about 50 years old and needed upgrading to meet current standards.
The upgrade announcement on came just days after a father and daughter from Bulgana were killed just metres from the bridge in their utility vehicle during a head-on collision with a truck.
Related stories
VicRoads has been alerted to the traffic build-ups and has its contractor has worked to clear traffic as quickly and safely as possible.
“The Beaufort Rail Bridge project is vital to ensure the safety of all road users, as well as upgrading the bridge's load-bearing capabilities to cater for freight,” Mr Powers said.
“By strengthening the bridge structure, the Western Highway can continue to function as one of Victoria's most productive travel and transport routes.”
The Beaufort Rail Bridge is on track for completion by August 2018.
The single-lane traffic flow will remain in place for the remainder of the project.
Emergency services vehicles with flashing lights are given priority ahead of all other traffic on-site and all other traffic is stopped to allow emergency services to pass through.
Pyrenees Shire mayor David Clark said the bridge upgrade was vital and residents and drivers would just have to “grin and bear it”.