Work is well underway to build a second bridge over the Princes Freeway on Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road as part of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade.
Over the course of five months, more than 90,000 tonnes of soil were trucked in to build the embankments of the new bridge.
The embankments will serve as the foundation for the new bridge.
The construction of these abutments began in February of this year and was completed by July this year.
Layers of soil were placed on top of each other to form a solid footing for the abutments. The northern embankment consists of 43 layers, while the southern embankment is made up of 38.
The construction of these soil embankments was a huge undertaking with over 90,000 tonnes of soil used in these earthworks.
This material was excavated from the Level Crossing Removal Project’s Mont Albert Road site in Surrey Hills earlier in the year.
This is equivalent to nearly 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of materials that will be reused and recycled to avoid sending this to landfill or purchasing new materials for the project.
With the embankments now formed, the soil needs to sit for at least three months to allow it to properly settle and naturally compact and create a strong foundation before work starts to build the bridge structure.
Work is now underway to build the centre pier, which will support the middle of the bridge.
The bridge is being delivered as part of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade.
Once complete it will carry northbound traffic on Healesville-Kooweerup Road, with the existing bridge carrying southbound traffic.
The new bridge will play a vital role in relieving bottlenecks and creating better connections to and from the Princes Freeway and the rapidly expanding Pakenham Employment Corridor, as well as to the town centre.
The key outcomes of the upgrade are:
* Upgrade the freeway interchanges at Healesville-Kooweerup Road, replacing both roundabouts with traffic lights.
* Build an extra bridge over the Princes Freeway at Healesville-Kooweerup Road and add an extra lane in each direction between Southeast Boulevard and Peet Street.
* Build new ramps to and from the Princes Freeway at McGregor Road.
* Add an extra lane in each direction on the freeway between McGregor and Healesville-Kooweerup roads to connect the entry and exit ramps between the two interchanges.
Stage 1 of the Pakenham Roads Upgrade is expected to be completed by mid-2025.
