Mornington Peninsula Freeway

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Mornington Peninsula Freeway/ Frankston Freeway

Length	?? kilometres
General direction:	North-South
Northern section:
From:	Aspendale Gardens, Melbourne
To:	Frankston, Melbourne
Southern section:
From:	Mt. Martha, Melbourne
To:	Rosebud West, Melbourne
Suburbs along freeway:	Carrum Downs, Frankston, Dromana, Rosebud

Mornington Peninsula Freeway is a Melbourne freeway linking Springvale Road in Aspendale gardens and the Moorooduc Highway in Frankston. It is signed with a Metro 11 shield, including the Moorooduc Highway. It changes names to become the Frankston Freeway in Carrum Downs south until Cranbourne Road.

A further 20 kilometres south along Moorooduc Highway, the Mornington Peninsula Freeway (southern section) recommences until Boneo Road, West Rosebud. The freeway is generally parallel to Point Nepean Road and Nepean Highway almost all the way including Moorooduc Highway.

At the northern end of the northern section, Melbourne-bound traffic may turn right along Springvale Road to access Monash Freeway or Princes Highway. Turning left follows an alternative way to the city via Nepean Highway.

South-eastern Melbourne is growing rapidly and traffic density is high. The proposed EastLink is touted as a solution, linking with the freeway (and hence Frankston and Mornington Peninsula) to Melbourne's comprehensive freeway network. Beyond Frankston, now part of Melbourne's urban sprawl, the freeway passes through vineyards, stud farms and gardens along the Mornington Peninsula.

A persistent proposal has been to complete the freeway and connect the northern and southern sections. This is the reason for the name change half-way down the freeway's northern section, as the original Mornington Peninisula Freeway was to divert through Langwarrin, Baxter and Moorooduc, eventually rejoining as a regular interchange with the Moorooduc Highway. This proposal looks unlikely to ever go ahead, although it is still indicated in Melway and other street directories.

[edit] Intended course

The Mornington Peninsula Freeway was originally designed to run from the proposed Dingley Freeway in Dingley through Braeside to the current northern section's northern terminus at Springvale Road. Where Eastlink is currently being constructed (the large bend in the middle of the northern section where the freeway's name officially change), it would then divert around the east side of Frankston through Langwarrin, Baxter and Moorooduc before once again joining the current southern section's northern terminus at Moorooduc Highway. Where the current southern section reaches Jetty Road in Rosebud, freeway conditions end, with a two-lane, single carrageway link from Jetty Road to Boneo Road. From Jetty Road the freeway was meant to adopt full freeway standards with overpasses over Jetty Road and Boneo Road, but this section has remained incomplete for over ten years (at this stage there appears to be no plans to complete the second carriageway or interchange crossing for Jetty Road). The freeway would then bypass Rye before terminating at Melbourne Road at the intersection of Canterbury Jetty Road in Blairgowrie.

VicRoads currently has no plans to construct any of the three missing lengths of the freeway. Instead, it has upgraded Moorooduc Highway to three lanes in each direction from Frankston-Flinders Road to Cranbourne Road and has installed new traffic lights at Sagers road, and a new roundabout at Eramosa Road West.

The construction of the Eastlink freeway and its interchange with the northern section has led to speculation of possible congestion on the Frankston Freeway, especially at the southern terminus at McMahons Road. This possible congestion would be alleviated by the construction of a missing section of the Mornington Peninsula freeway, from Eastlink through to the Moorooduc Highway (this section has also become known as the Frankston Bypass). Vicroads however does not anticipate such congestion on the Frankston freeway will actually occur. Federal MP Bruce Billson however, believes otherwise, and is raising this issue in the local press. As these roads are strictly a state responsibility, it remains to be seen if Mr. Billson will propose any solution or funding from a Federal level.

The Victorian minister for Transport, Peter Batchelor has stated that simply because the freeway's projected path appears on a map (referring to the route shown in the Melway), that this does not mean that the road is intended to, or will ever actually be built. City of Frankston councillors however, along with Mr. Billson, are pushing for the bypass to be built in any case.

In May of 2006, it was reported that City of Frankston councillors were in discussions with Eastlink, with a view to constructing part of the Frankston Bypass as a toll road. This road would run from Eastlink near the terminus with the Frankston Freeway, through to Cranbourne Road. The state transport minister was reported to be interested in the proposal.

In October of 2006, Peter Batchelor has stated that he and his department are in talks with the Frankston City Council and the Mornington Peninusula Shire about options for traffic flowing through Frankston from EastLink to the Mornington Peninsula. He announced that bridges would be constructed as part of the EastLink project at the Frankston Bypass site in Carrum Downs to prepare for the bypass construction.

[edit] Interchanges

Northern section (as Mornington Peninsula Freeway):
- Springvale Road : Aspendale Gardens. start of freeway
- Thames Promenade: Chelsea Heights. northbound exit only; southbound entrance only
- Thompson Road : Patterson Lakes. bi-directional
- Eastlink: Carrum Downs. proposed bi-direction. (currently under construction)
Northern section (as Frankston Freeway):
- Rutherford Road: Carrum Downs. southbound exit only
- Seaford Road: Seaford. bi-directional
- Frankston-Dandenong Road : Frankston. bi-directional
- Cranbourne Road/McMahons Road : Frankston. end of freeway

Southern section (as Mornington Peninsula Freeway):
- Moorooduc Highway : Mt. Martha. start of freeway
- Nepean Highway : Safety Beach. bi-directional
- Nepean Highway : Dromana. bi-directional
- McCulloch Street : Dromana. bi-directional
- Lonsdale Street: McCrae. city-bound only
- Jetty Road: Rosebud. bi-directional; end of dual carrageway freeway
- Boneo Road : Rosebud West. end of single carrageway freeway