Sunbury Road travellers are being warned to prepare for heavy delays, with works are set to begin on the third runway at Melbourne Airport.
The major roadworks are set to bring a widened Sunbury Road, with a new intersection installed along with traffic lights.
The new intersection and traffic lights will be at the entrance to airport land between the Wildwood Road and Oaklands Road roundabouts, to accommodate construction vehicles entering and existing airport land.
Alongside the new intersection, the airport’s northern access road will also be upgraded.
The works will be completed in three stages, with the finished project resulting in Sunbury Road being widened and resurfaced, with new double line markings on the approach to the traffic signals that will continue from Old Bulla Road through to the Wildwood Road roundabout.
Trenching services will be undertaken to install and relocate utilities, drainage infrastructure will be constructed and site clearing will all be completed.
Traffic divided along Sunbury Road heading towards the traffic lights and intersection.
The new traffic lights will only be activated by vehicles entering and exiting airport land, to reduce disruptions to other traffic along Sunbury Road, according to the Melbourne Airport.
Works are expected to cause disruption to traffic, with commuters and residents told to plan their journey ahead of time to allow for delays.
During the works, the speed limit along Sunbury Road will be reduced to 40km/h. Access to surrounding properties and businesses will be maintained during works, and access to the airport will not be affected.
“The Sunbury Road changes are essential to keeping vehicles moving safely in and out of the airport when main construction works begin next year,” Melbourne Airport third runway executive director Peter Lellyett said.
The road works along Sunbury Road are expected to take 12 months to complete, scheduled to begin in late September 2025 with completion targeted for late 2026.
Melbourne Airport has said Sunbury Road will remain open during daytime works, with no lane closures but with changed traffic conditions at times. There will be some night closures, with information available at https://tinyurl.com/rsh2y9mf
