Australia's AUD 175 Million Highway Upgrade Completed 6 Months Ahead of Schedule

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 21, the Victorian Government of Australia announced the latest progress on two highway upgrade projects in the Wollan area north of Melbourne, with a total investment of AUD 175 million (approximately AUD 175 million), including the Watson Street interchange upgrade and the Northern Highway intersection upgrade. Among them, the Watson Street interchange project has completed more than 50% of construction work and is expected to open in mid-2027, about 6 months ahead of the original schedule; the Northern Highway intersection project will also be completed half a year early, with major construction planned to conclude by the end of 2026.

The Watson Street interchange is located along the Hume Highway. The project will convert the existing interchange into a full diamond interchange, adding new highway exit ramps to Wollan and entry ramps toward the Melbourne city center, as well as installing new traffic signals on both sides of the Watson Street bridge. Once completed, vehicles will be able to travel directly between the Hume Highway, the Wollan town center, and the Wollan East industrial area via the new ramps.

The nearby Northern Highway intersection project is under construction simultaneously. The work includes widening both directions of the Northern Highway, adding a second right-turn lane from Watson Street toward Wollan, and improving pedestrian and cycling connections. The intersection is planned to be completed before the Watson Street interchange to provide road access conditions for the new highway ramps entering service in 2027.

The two projects are jointly funded by the Australian Federal Government and the Victorian State Government, contributing AUD 90 million and AUD 85 million respectively, and will provide more than 1,100 jobs during construction. Currently, the two northbound ramps of the Hume Highway remain temporarily closed and are expected to reopen in mid-November.