By Paul Dunlop
A STRETCH of Pakenham road tagged the ‘missing link’ by locals is finally about to be sealed.
Frustrated residents have lobbied for years for a sealed road connecting older and newer parts of town north of the Princes Highway.
Their wishes were granted this week when Cardinia Shire Council signed off on a contract to construct about 100 metres of Kennedy Road.
The $253,000 project will mean motorists can cross from one side of town to the other without having to use the highway.
Parents can easily drive from Ahern Road to drop children off at Pakenham Hills Primary School and make other trips while avoiding the trucks and other traffic that makes travelling through town so frustrating at peak times.
Central Ward councillor Brett Owen successfully moved at the council’s Monday meeting to approve expenditure for the works.
Cr Owen said he was happy to see this project finally come to fruition.
He said it would make life much easier for residents in the area.
“I look forward to this work,” he said.
“It will assist in the problems of parking and the like at Pakenham Hills Primary School and provide access from Kennedy Road to Ahern Road.”
Cr Owen’s Central Ward colleague Kate Lempriere said the lack of access had been a nuisance for parents wanting to deliver their children to school.
She said she was also glad to see the works going ahead.
“There’s been problems in the past, but it’s going to happen now, and it’s going to be great,” she said.
“I know it has taken time, but this will be terrific.”
The project will include upgraded culvert works at the Kennedy Creek crossing.
It will be paid for from the council’s development levy contributions with Melbourne Water to reimburse the council about $71,000 for the cost of the culvert upgrade.
Cr Owen’s motion directed Bestway Group Ltd to accept the tender submitted by Akron Roads Pty Ltd to do the works.
Mayor Bill Ronald said at Monday’s meeting that sealing the ‘missing link’ was an important project he had wanted to see achieved for many years.
Cr Ronald said the former Pakenham Council in the early 1990s identified the need for a link road north of the highway that provided access to Pakenham Hills Primary School and the residential estates popping up around it.
“It’s taken a long time but it’s great to see it happening. This will be of enormous benefit,” Cr Ronald said.
Cardinia general manager of assets and development services Michael Ellis said he expected work to start fairly soon.
Given favourable weather, the construction period would be about eight to nine weeks, he said.
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