Knox shares a problem with many outer suburban areas: the issue of congestion, which impinges on quality of life.
Over my time as the Federal Member for Aston, I have been committed to the construction of many local projects. Some of these projects have been on the drawing board for decades and action is finally happening.
The Henderson Bridge is open! This was an election commitment of mine in 2016 and it is great to see it built. It not only provides another north-south link across Knox, but is taking some pressure off Stud Rd. I have also secured funds for traffic lights at the Kelletts Rd intersection and slip lanes at FTG Rd intersection. Construction on these is expected to begin in September.
Stage 1 is already finished and Stage 2 is underway. This will add 36 km of new lanes including from Eastlink to Warrigal Rd. We added an extra $184 million to start it more quickly. It will be completed in 2022.
The $50 million to duplicate Napoleon Rd from Glenfern to Kelletts Rd is secured. $3.5m of this funding is already flowing to the state govt to complete detailed planning on this complex project. The Dorset Rd extension and Napoleon Rd duplication will be staged together with Napoleon Rd done first so there is extra capacity. Construction is expected to commence in late 2021/early 2022.
The $80 million of federal funding is secured. $6.5m of this funding is already flowing to the state govt to complete detailed planning on this complex project. The Dorset Rd extension and Napoleon Rd duplication will be staged together with Napoleon Rd done first so there is extra capacity. Construction is expected to commence in late 2021/early 2022.
Funding is secured in the budget and state government is undertaking the pre-planning work on making this intersection safe. Expected to begin early 2021.
The $35 million in federal funding is secured for additional parking at each station. Planning work is currently underway with Knox Council and the state government. These are complex projects and we want to ensure we get it right. We still haven’t settled on the design of these so there is a bit to go.
We have secured the first massive instalment for Rowville Rail of $475 million. However, I have yet to convince the state govt, who own the rail network, about this important project. Still work to do on this.
Additional federal funds have been provided to Knox Council for local roads such as Forest Rd, Dorian Ave and Blackwood Park Rd in FTG, and Wentworth Ave in Rowville.
The federal and state govts have each committed $5 billion to finally build a rail line to the airport. Construction will begin in 2022. Get on the train and go all the way to the airport! Saving time and money.
You know our commitment to this project! We are ready to fund the full government share of the project as soon as a state government is willing to give it the green light.