Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) (19:18:18) — (13 733) My adjournment matter is for the attention of the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the progress of the Craigieburn Road business case. Last year Craigieburn residents were delighted that the minister took the time to meet with them on two occasions and to hear their concerns about Craigieburn Road. The minister then announced $250 000 for a business case to be developed for the duplication of Craigieburn Road. Craigieburn’s population continues to grow as many families choose to make this wonderful community their home. With a population growing from over 32 000 people in 2011 to over 50 000 people in 2016, traffic on Craigieburn Road now exceeds over 29 000 vehicles per day. And this growth is certainly not slowing; there is plenty more to come. As a long-term advocate for the duplication of this road I seek an update on the business case from the minister, and I look forward to his response.

Response:

Thank you for the opportunity to reply to the matter that was raised on 29 November 2017, in relation to the Craigieburn Road Duplication. The Member for Yuroke is a strong advocate for the local community and I appreciate the opportunity to meet with the community and understand their concerns.

We are aware from these meetings that the increased growth in the north is putting increasing pressure on the road network. These higher traffic volumes can lead to increased travel times along Craigieburn Road.

VicRoads advises me that it has done extensive consultation with several councils that represent the outer suburbs of Melbourne, including Hume City Council, to identify strategically important roads that require some form of infrastructure upgrade. As you are aware, we recognise that Craigieburn Road is one of these roads.

VicRoads has recently undertaken traffic modelling investigations for Craigieburn Road to monitor current traffic volumes and get a better understanding of forecasted traffic volumes in the future. In addition, initial planning investigations such as Cultural and European heritage and environmental investigations have commenced on Craigieburn Road. These investigations are important to ensure that potential future upgrades will mitigate any impacts on the surrounding area.

Hon Luke Donnellan MP
Minister for Roads and Road Safety