The Victorian Government has announced new transport, infrastructure and planning projects worth $743 million.

The works being undertaken by the Department of Infrastructure are among $1.36 billion in capital works in the 1999-2000 State Budget.

The Budget lists four major roads projects worth $567.3 million to be undertaken by the State Government and funded by the Better Roads Trust Fund.

The Government has provided $118.5 million to the upgrade of the Princes Freeway between Geelong and Melbourne. The Premier, Mr Kennett, has requested the Federal Government to recognise the freeway as a Road of National Importance and contribute funding to complete the upgrade.

$175 million has been committed to building the Hallam Bypass as part of the Princes Freeway, $255 million to extend the Eastern Freeway and $18.8 million to upgrade the Cooper Street corridor at Epping.

The Eastern Freeway project will extend the Freeway 5.5 kilometres from Springvale Rd to Ringwood.

The funding requirement is subject to the outcome of an independent investigation of tunnel options currently underway. Work on the extension could begin as early as this year subject to the tunnel-costing findings.

The Hallam Bypass, which will link Gippsland to the city and eliminate traffic snarls in Hallam and Narre Warren, is a seven-kilometre, four-lane freeway linking the Monash Freeway (formerly South Eastern Freeway) at Doveton to the start of the Berwick Bypass at Narre Warren.

The Monash Freeway will also be widened to six lanes between Heatherton Road and the new bypass.

Construction will begin early next year, for completion in late 2004.

$18.8 million is to be provided for one of the northern suburbs’ busiest roads, Cooper Street, Epping, to combat congestion and provide a safer route for traffic.

The total duplication project will extend for 5.4 km from Yale Drive, Epping, through to east of the Hume Highway, and will be completed in three stages.

An additional $48.8 million will be provided for new works as part of the Outer Metropolitan Road Improvement program that targets roads in fast-growing areas of Melbourne.

The Government has also confirmed that it will spend an extra $75.8 million on improving bus services, as was recently announced.

Other Public Transport initiatives include $2.6 million for an upgrade of the Country Platform at Flinders Street Station and $1.6 million to decrease rural student bus fares to the statewide standard.

$14 million was also allocated to further upgrade Melbourne’s Station Pier. The Inner West Berth will be repaired so that it can be used by visiting navy vessels and as a third cruise ship facility.

$9 million has been committed to the Pride of Place program which funds major capital works, strategic studies or design work to help improve the public spaces in town centres. The greater part of this money will be spent in non-metropolitan areas.

Ballarat’s historic Camp Street precinct will be given $1 million in the 1999-2000 financial year to develop a planning and design strategy, with a total allocated commitment of $12 million. The project will convert Camp Street into a central education and arts precinct.

The Government is also funding $15 million for public heritage works over the next three years to continue to assist in the restoration of government and local government-owned heritage property.

The Budget also includes $30 million to contribute to bridge and road works that will connect the new North-South Road at Docklands with the rest of Melbourne.

(News Releases, Offices of the Premier, Minister for Planning and Local Government, Minister for Transport, Minister for Roads and Ports:  1,   2 and 3, May 4, 1999)