The Brimbank Council has welcomed the federal government’s election commitment of $300 million to build a new and urgently needed diamond interchange at Calder Park Drive, to improve road safety, reduce congestion and improve access.
According to the council, the Calder Freeway is one of Australia’s most dangerous roads. And it’s been calling for the major route to be upgraded since 2021, when it launched the ‘Fix the Calder’ campaign.
Brimbank Council has since worked closely with the Calder Action Group and other community groups to advocate for improvements.
Construction of a diamond interchange at Calder Park Drive was a key improvement priority in the campaign, endorsed by LeadWest and the Calder Highway Improvement Committee (CHIC) which constitutes the nine Victorian Councils along the Calder Highway.
Despite the business case for the interchange having been completed by the state government in 2022, the project was put on hold following the federal government’s review of the nation’s infrastructure pipeline in 2023.
In response to the delay, Brimbank Council relaunched the ‘Fix the Calder’ campaign in 2024, working again with the Calder Action Group and raising the matter in Canberra with key decision makers on multiple occasions, including with the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King.
Brimbank Mayor Cr Thuy Dang said, “The Federal Government’s promise to invest $300 million into building a new, and safer interchange at Calder Park Drive is welcome news for everyone who uses the Calder Freeway – it is something Brimbank Council has been advocating for since we launched the ‘Fix the Calder’ campaign in 2021.
“We now call on the Federal Opposition to match this commitment like-for-like to ensure this life-saving work takes place, regardless of the Federal Election result in May.”