Western Port Highway Upgrade

Project Overview

The Victoria and Commonwealth Governments have committed to upgrading two Western Port Highway intersections. This is to improve safety and congestion for the 25,000 drivers that use the highway each day.

The Western Port Highway upgrade entails the removal of 2 roundabouts (Ballarto Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road) to be replaced with signalised intersections. This will allow for managed traffic flow, improved safety and lowered congestion for Western Port Highway and surrounding suburbs.  A new shared walking and cycling path will also be built to connect the existing paths near Ballarto and Cranbourne-Frankston intersection.

The project will build on improvements recently delivered by the Thompsons Road Upgrade and the Hallam Road Upgrade.

Project Scope

Downer (Principal Contractor) engaged MBB in early 2022 to provide engineering and supervision support for the delivery of the project.

The MBB team provided expert advice and consultation from design through completion of all utility relocations, public lighting and traffic signals throughout the project. This included liaising with utility service providers to achieve the best and most practical outcome for the project and utilities during the design phase. MBB worked closely with the delivery team to ensure relocations were expedited in order to de-risk the overall program.

Utility relocation scope is currently on track to be completed one month ahead of schedule which will allow the program to be bought forward for all civil works.

In addition to utilities and civil support, MBB provided project supervision services during construction. Scope involved pavement construction, traffic management, landscaping and asphalt.

In early 2022, delivery partner Downer EDI engaged the services of MBB to provide engineering and supervision support for the delivery of the Westernport Highway upgrade. The scope of the project included all utility relocation management, public lighting, drainage, pavements and traffic signals.

The MBB team provided invaluable advice and consultation throughout the project lifecycle. They integrated with the delivery team from design through to completion to ensure that the utility relocations were expedited, which helped to de-risk the overall program. As part of our role, MBB liaised with utility service providers to ensure the best and most practical outcome for the project during the design phase. This involved evaluating different options and recommending the most suitable approach for the project.

One of the key challenges faced by the project was the relocation of non contestable utilities. However, thanks to the expertise of the MBB team and their close collaboration with the delivery team, the utility relocation scope was completed one month ahead of schedule. This achievement is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the MBB team and their commitment to delivering high-quality results. By completing the utility relocation scope ahead of schedule, the program is now on track to be brought forward for all civil works. This will help to ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget, while also minimising disruption to the surrounding community.

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