Quay 2 intersection greenlit

CONSTRUCTION of the Surf Coast Highway intersection to Torquay North’s Quay 2 development has cleared its final hurdle with confirmation the Department of Transport has given its approval to the long delayed project.

Maxwell Shifman, the chief operating officer for Intrapac Property that developed the estate, learnt the news as he arrived at Quay 2 last Friday for a morning tea to mark its successful completion.

“The great thing is we can finally see an end in sight,” Mr Shifman said.

The night before, the Quay 2 development was announced winner of the best residential development for more than 250 lots in Victoria by the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).

“The reality is that we probably could have had it built several years ago, but let’s just focus on the positive and getting it done now,” Mr Shifman said of the intersection.

“We’ve done all the approval, now it’s up to council to get going. There shouldn’t be a significant delay in getting it started.”

Preparation works including the undergrounding of some powerlines at the site have been completed, meaning the final major works that remain are the installation of traffic lights and road access at the intersections of Coombes Road, Rosser Boulevard and the Surf Coast Highway.

“Whilst council has not been involved in this process, we are aware that the Department and Intrapac (the developer) have been working through several draft designs to arrive at the final approved version,” Surf Coast Shire’s general manager of place making and environment Chris Pike said.

Mr Pike said council will now take on responsibility for delivering the project that will be jointly funded by developer contributions and council, and expects to call for tenders soon, “with construction likely to start later this year and completion in the second half of 2023”.

Mr Shifman said there are lessons to be learned from hold ups to the project that saw responsibility for construction of the intersection start with the developer, shift to council and then back to the developer again.

“You’ve got to make sure that everyone is on the same page, rather than competing on outcomes. That way we will get better outcomes and better infrastructure earlier for our communities.”