Officer commuters are still waiting for freeway entrance ramps to open, despite project timelines stating they would be ready to use in late 2022.
Construction of new inbound and outbound freeway ramps at Officer South Road are now set to be open 7 February.
Residential land developer Satterley is delivering the project for Cardinia Shire Council, according to the Cardinia Shire website.
A spokesperson for Satterley said the Princes Freeway/Officer South Road project had been a significant undertaking, with almost 40 stakeholder groups involved in the design and delivery of the asset over the last four years.
“Similar to what the industry has seen, we have experienced significant delays caused by the effects of Covid-19 and wet weather conditions.
“All of Satterley’s scope is complete, and the opening of the ramps is at the Department of Transport’s discretion, of which Satterley has no control.
“The Department of Transport is currently waiting on one of its appointed civil contractors to complete some asphalting works on the freeway to allow the ramps to open safely to the public.“
The spokesperson said they understood the process had been frustrating for the local community.
“We greatly appreciate the patience of the Arcadia and broader local community,“ they said.
They said the latest update Satterley received from the Department of Transport (30 January) was that the ramps would open on Tuesday 7 February. However, this was subject to the completion of the Department of Transport’s asphalting works on the freeway.
A Cardinia Shire spokesperson said council was continuing to advocate to have the ramps opened as soon as possible.
A Department of Transport and Planning spokesperson said the final stage of the works were underway, with asphalting work to be completed in coming weeks, weather permitting.
“We thank motorists for their patience while we complete this important work and open the ramps as quickly as possible,“ they said.
