Construction work is now well underway in Australia on the Monash Freeway upgrade in Victoria State. The project has entered its second stage and is costing US$513.5 million (A$711 million. The work involves building 36km of new lanes as well as installing the latest traffic information technology for drivers. For the section from Warrigal Road to the EastLink the router will be widened to five lanes in either direction, compared with four in either direction at present. Meanwhile between Clyde Road and Cardinia Road, the route will feature three lanes in either direction, rather than two at present. Work on the first stage of the project was completed in July 2018 and the project is due for completion in mid-2022.
An improvement in safety has been noted on the route since a trial ban on trucks using the right hand lanes was implemented. This ban led to a reduction in truck crashes of almost 40% and as a result, has now been made permanent.
