$8.5m safety blitz finishes on Bellarine Highway

STAFF WRITER

The Bellarine Highway has been redesigned through Moolap and Wallington, with 7km of new safety barriers and major intersection changes now in place.

The $8.5 million project, jointly funded by the state and federal governments, wrapped up last week after nearly a year of construction.

The upgrades focus on highway’s most dangerous stretches, which carry up to 34,000 vehicles daily and have been the site of several serious accidents and one fatality over the last seven years.

State Geelong MP Christine Couzens said the work was about practical fixes at the road’s most dangerous points.

“These upgrades will make a real difference for the thousands of locals who rely on the Bellarine Highway every day, improving safety at some of the busiest and most high-risk intersections in our region,” she said.

As part of the works, safety measures have been installed at the intersections at Swan Bay Road in Wallington, Greenside Grove in Moolap and Resort Boulevard in Moolap.

Drivers will notice the biggest shifts at Swan Bay Road and Resort Boulevard.

Right turns onto the highway from these side streets have been replaced with dedicated U-turn points.

To support the change, new 200m “slow-down” lanes have been added to help motorists exit the main flow of traffic safely.

Federal minister for regional development, local government and territories Kristy McBain said the upgrades would provide a safer and smoother commute for travellers across the Bellarine Peninsula.

“Any serious crash on our roads is one too many and that’s why we’ve improved safety on this key route that locals rely on every day,” she said.