News - Pakenham Officer Star News - 13th May 2021

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PAKENHAM OFFICER

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Thursday, 13 May, 2021

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Pakenham roads have been allocated significant funds in the federal budget, including for major works on the dreaded Monash Freeway, which ground to a halt on Wednesday due to a bad crash.

Major roads cash Pakenham’s roads are in dire need of some upgrades, and it seems this year’s federal budget is set to deliver, with Federal La Trobe MP Jason Wood stating that the electorate would be the “biggest beneficiary” of the funding out of any electorate across the country. Before the federal budget was revealed on the evening of Tuesday 11 May, Mr Wood foreshadowed what La Trobe residents could expect to see as Australia works towards a postCovid economic recovery - and according to him, road improvements will be receiving the “bells and whistles” treatment. Mr Wood said that more than $300 million will be going towards the ‘Pakenham road package’, which will see major upgrades occur

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on Racecourse Road, Bald Hill Road and McGregor Road to name a few. An additional $203.4 million will be invested in the ‘Monash roads upgrade’, resulting in a combined total of about $500 million being invested in Melbourne’s South Eastern infrastructure. “La Trobe has been the biggest beneficiary of the funding for an electorate in Australia,” Mr Wood said, prior to the budget announcement. “The best and most superior option requires a lot of funding, and that’s what we’ve gone for.” This money will be aimed at improving traffic flow and easing congestion at two pinch points along the Monash Freeway, and residents can expect to see lane duplications,

new ramps and several overpass upgrades near Berwick (Clyde Road) and Pakenham in the near future. Mr Wood said that the Monash Freeway/ Clyde Road ramps would see some major improvements, with funding allocated to build dual lanes in both on and off directions to combat congestion. Train stations including Berwick and Pakenham are set to receive funding too, with plans to see Berwick station turn into a “major transport hub” with $64.2 million being allocated towards a multi-story car park for commuters. Mr Wood said that while roads and carparks weren’t usually the responsibility of the federal government, he had fought hard to “secure the additional funding” for his electorate, as he knew it was an important issue

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for local residents. The road funding announcement came the night before the Monash ground to a standstill after a serious crash on the Monash Freeway, just past Cardinia Road, at about 12.30pm on Wednesday 12 May. A man believed to be in his 40s was the only one injured in the single vehicle collision. An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said that it looked like his vehicle had “gone into the barrier”. The man was trapped in the vehicle for some time and was flown to hospital. The Victorian Department of Transport and Victoria Police closed the Pakenham Bypass inbound lanes in Officer., causing traffic to bank up for kilometres.

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By Gabriella Payne

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