Dates and detours have been announced for the second stage of the long-awaited Dyson Drive and Ballarat-Carngham Road roundabout project.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
From January 2024, crews will be on-site at the intersection from Monday to Friday, between 7am and 6pm for the second half of the project.
First announced in October 2018, the build is one of the last of the state government's Keeping Ballarat Moving suite of road projects for the city.
Works to be completed in stage two include; earthworks, pavement and asphalting, drainage, kerb and channel construction, construction of traffic islands and guard rails, and the installation of lights, signs and lines.
It comes after the first stage of the build was finished in July this year.
Speed limit reductions will be in place as required for the work, as well as lane closures and detours.
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson was unable to give a rough date of completion for the second stage of the works, and said the works were dependent on a range of factors including weather and site conditions.
Completion of the project was pushed back a year in the state government's 2023/24 budget due to land acquisition delays and weather issues.
The project was announced during the 2018 election campaign, deemed necessary due to the rapid increase in population in Lucas and Delacombe.
About 700 vehicles use the intersection each hour during peak times, according to data from Regional Roads Victoria. The number of users is expected to increase by 60 per cent by 2041.
There were seven crashes resulting in injury in the area between 2014 and 2019.
In an election promise made in September 2022, Labor promised to investigate the duplication of Ballarat-Carngham Road, between Dyson Drive and Wiltshire Lane, as a measure to ease congestion through the western thoroughfare.
The state government committed $6.6 million for "duplication development" in its 2022-23 budget but it's not known when works will begin.
Regional Roads Victoria have confirmed a business case has been developed for the possible duplication, but a Department of Transport spokesperson was unable to provide further details on when a green light would be given to the project.
Elsewhere on Dyson Drive, a fresh set of traffic lights have been installed at the Cuzens Road intersection.
The new lights expected to be switched on in early 2024.