By Jim Mynard
CASEY Council will launch a major campaign early in the new year to lobby the State Government and VicRoads to build the long-planned Cranbourne Bypass.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford said the project was a priority for his mayoral term because it would not only deliver a huge community benefit to residents and businesses, but also to regional businesses and the tourist industry.
“The Cranbourne Bypass is Casey’s number one main road diversion priority,” Cr Bradford said.
“We have been lobbying the State Government since 1999 to little effect and the bypass is needed more urgently than ever.”
The mayor said heavy traffic, including large trucks and tourist buses, in Cranbourne’s High Street posed a growing danger to pedestrians and decreased the amenity of shopping facilities.
“The Cranbourne Bypass will divert heavy traffic away from the town centre.
“This will not only make the area safer but will also help revitalise the main shopping precinct,” he said.
The Cranbourne Bypass is an arterial road comprising a new 1.2 kilometre road from the South Gippsland Highway to Cameron Street and an upgrade of Cameron Street to provide a new duplicated road between Camms Road and the South Gippsland Highway.
This means the existing road will be used as a service road.
VicRoads has already acquired land for the bypass and construction is expected to cost nearly $12 million for the northern section and $20m for the Cameron Street section.
This will rise to $40m if the road goes over the railway line, which the State Government plans to reopen.
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