The mayors of Kingston, Glen Eira and Monash are calling for urgent road upgrades to "avert a traffic crisis". Some locals are also opposed to the road, saying the benefits won't last for long. Michael Poulakakis' yard overlooks rolling grassland, but in a few short years it will back onto four lanes of traffic. Michael Poulakakis will soon be looking out at the Mordialloc Freeway. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui "We will be dealing with the same issues in a few years' time," said Mr Poulakakis, who is a member of local lobby group Residents Against Mordialloc Freeway.

"The freeway will concentrate the traffic into certain areas, which end up forming bottlenecks, which can't be alleviated." The government promises the freeway will shave 10 minutes off journeys during evening peak hour between the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and the Dingley Bypass. It will also improve access to Monash, Melbourne's largest employment area outside of the CBD, and to the Moorabbin Airport area. Work is due to start next year with the freeway set to open in late 2021.

However, government modelling has found that by 2031 nearly 83,000 cars will use the Mornington Peninsula Freeway each day – 48 per cent more cars than if the new Mordialloc Freeway is not built. The Dingley Bypass will also have an extra 7900 cars due to the freeway in 2031. The 7000-page analysis on traffic numbers also reveals that four properties in Braeside will be acquired and 491 trees cut down. Yet the Mordialloc Freeway, which is set to carry up to 80,000 cars a day, will also take thousands of cars off more than a dozen roads. It will take nearly 27,000 cars off Wells and Boundary roads, and more than 18,000 vehicles off Westall Road.

The new Mordialloc Freeway will be 9km long However local mayors have warned that the new freeway will "dump thousands of extra cars into the region and clog up local roads". On Centre Dandenong Road vehicles would double to 34,700 with the freeway. On Governor Road, the number of cars would rise to 27,600. The freeway creates the need for a Westall Road extension to link the Mordialloc Freeway with the Monash Freeway, they said.



"Without this link, thousands of cars will instead continue to hit a dead end and clog up the region’s roads which are already struggling due to our increasing population," Monash Mayor Paul Klisaris said. Loading In a bid to cater for the growth in traffic, Labor would widen roads feeding into the new freeway, including adding an extra lane to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway between Thames Promenade and Springvale Road. "Labor is delivering real solutions for the south east – returning local roads, to local people," Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan said. Coalition Leader Matthew Guy has promised to upgrade the Dingley Bypass – the road linking the Mordialloc Freeway in Dingley Village – at a cost of $600 million.

Six major intersections along the bypass and two on Westall Road will be removed if Mr Guy is elected. Shadow Minister for Roads David Hodgett said the Coalition had a "comprehensive plan to get back in control of traffic congestion" and committed to building the Mordialloc Freeway. Last month, Labor also promised to upgrade South Road in Moorabbin for $30 million, to ease commute times for those getting to the city via the Nepean Highway. Former Liberal Premier Denis Napthine initially promised to build a 4.5 kilometre Mordialloc Bypass for $200 million. After winning office, Premier Daniel Andrews threw an extra $175 million, to double the road’s length and convert it to a freeway, by raising the speed limit to 100km/h and removing traffic lights.