Bypass gets residents moving

By Paul Dunlop
THE Pakenham Bypass is coming – but one couple has sold their home to get out of its way.
In the same week the first sod was turned to officially mark the start of the longawaited project, Kathleen Reimert said she and husband Theo had moved from Racecourse Road to King Street to escape it.
Mrs Reimert said she was not opposed to the muchvaunted $242 million plan to reroute traffic away from Pakenham township.
But with Racecourse Road expected to be a major thoroughfare for trucks carrying materials for the bypass works, she was concerned about the impact of noise and risk of accidents during the twoyear construction period.
“My husband is a shift worker and he has to rest during the day. He needs quiet,” Mrs Reimert said.
“We are 100 per cent behind the bypass but we don’t believe enough has been done to ensure shift workers and other residents will be adequately protected while it is built.
“Racecourse Road already has problems with noise and safety and we believe it will only get worse, so for reasons of quality of life and personal safety, we’ve sold our house and moved.”
Widely regarded as the harbinger of a period of enormous growth and prosperity for Pakenham, the bypass is a project jointly funded by the State and Federal Governments.
Federal Roads Minister Jim Lloyd and Victorian Transport Minister Peter Batchelor were in town on Friday to mark the beginning works on the 6.7kilometre stretch between Cardinia Road and the HealesvilleKooweerup Road.
Mr Lloyd said the bypass would complete the last missing link in the freeway network connecting Melbourne and Gippsland.
“This bypass will be a catalyst for renewed growth and development of Pakenham as a true regional centre serving the south eastern corridor,” he said.
Bypass project manager Charlie Broadhurst said VicRoads had worked closely with Racecourse Road residents and introduced several measures to address concerns.
Traffic lights at the intersection with the Princes Highway and improved line marking and signage would help alleviate any potential problems, he said.
Mr Broadhurst said VicRoads had several issues to consider in transporting material to the bypass construction site.
The safety of schoolchildren and pedestrians in the vicinity of Racecourse Road, the potential to worsen congestion during peak traffic times and disruption to the community’s lifestyle if fill was carted after business hours were all factors to consider, he said.
“The hours between 9.30am and 3pm have been highlighted as the opportune time for transporting material as they carry the smallest risk in terms of safety issues, and they fall outside the peak hours,” he said.
Mr Broadhurst said VicRoads was limited in the roads it could use to transport material to the site.
Racecourse Road is part of the HealesvilleKooweerup Road, an arterial thoroughfare with direct access to the bypass reservation.
Mr Broadhurst said the road was already used by many heavy vehicles moving between the Princes and South Gippsland highways and it was not expected that the noise would get significantly worse while the bypass was under construction.
But after a week in their new home, Mrs Reimert said she and her husband had made the right choice.
“It’s much quieter here,” she said.