Everything about The Tullamarine Freeway totally explained
The
Tullamarine Freeway is a
freeway in
Melbourne,
Australia, linking
Melbourne International Airport to the
central business district.
Current Route
Due to the original southern sections being upgraded in the early 1990s as part of
CityLink, the officialstart of the freeway is at
Pascoe Vale Road. Here it's a three lane, high quality dual carriageway, running along the south side of
Essendon Airport and the
Direct Factory Outlets shopping complex, the former main airport of Melbourne. At the
Calder Freeway interchange, staying to the right will lead you to the next section of the Tullamarine Freeway.
The next section is quite narrow, with two lanes running either way and a concrete barrier (later grass and shrubbery) in the middle of the road. Melrose Drive runs alongside its airport-bound side. This section is frequently congested due to the combination of freight traffic from the
Hume Highway, which is accessed from the
Western Ring Road interchange, and the traffic from the airport. After the ring road interchange, the traffic is slightly better, leading to Melbourne Airport, where the freeway ends.
History
Tullamarine Freeway is one of the oldest freeways in Melbourne, originally constructed in 1968-1970. It was intended to replace Lancefield Road (now Melrose Drive),
Tullamarine and parts of Bulla Road,
Essendon, providing easy access to the newly built
Melbourne Airport. A spur was constructed to link with the
Calder Highway at Airport West. From Essendon, a new section heading east to
Pascoe Vale and then south along the
Moonee Ponds Creek to Mt Alexander Road,
Flemington replaced Mt Alexander Road as the main route to the city.
The freeway was initially designated for the whole stretch from Tullamarine to Flemington. The short Calder Highway link was designated
Calder Freeway .
With its completion, citybound heavy vehicles from
Hume Highway were diverted here via Pascoe Vale Road. In the 1990s, the completion of the
Western Ring Road increased traffic tremendously. It was only relieved by the completion of
CityLink, widening the freeway to 8 lanes and extending it south to the
West Gate Freeway. The improved sections are now tolled.
Current projects
The
Calder Freeway interchange was completed earlier than expected in mid 2007, which underwent dramatic roadworks to alleviate congestion. All works are now complete, with the end result being the decommissioning and removal of two offramps, an additional two lanes inbound, and dedicated Bulla Road-Calder Freeway spurs to eliminate weaving, notorious for many accidents in the area.
Another project, which is well underway is a new bridge and northern entrance to the Essendon Airport through the interchange of Melrose Drive, to provide easy access for the people living in the northern suburbs to access the Essendon Airport district.
Although, initially proposed the route shield for the Tullamarine Freeway will be retained as
State Route 43 and won't be changed to the
M2 when
EastLink is completed in mid 2008. There are no plans for the change in route numbering at this stage.
Interchanges
The Tullamarine Freeway is signed as in its entirety from the Airport to Essendon and onwards as CityLink. It the gains and shields at the interchange with the Calder Freeway in Essendon, loses at the Bell Street ramps in Strathmore, and loses at the Mt. Alexander Road/Racecourse Road overpass in Flemington. The interchanges are:
Essendon Airport/English Street, Airport West: bi-directional
Calder Freeway, Essendon: city-bound entry, out-bound exit only
Bulla Road, Essendon: bi-directional
Pascoe Vale Road /Bell Street, Strathmore: bi-directional (limited)
The interchanges for the CityLink section are:
Moreland Road, Coburg: out-bound only
Ormond Road/Brunswick Road, Brunswick: city-bound only
Mt. Alexander Road, Flemington: out-bound only
Racecourse Road Flemington: city-bound only
Dynon Road Kensington: out-bound only
Docklands Highway Docklands: bi-directional
West Gate Freeway :, Port Melbourne: bi-directionalFurther Information
Get more info on 'Tullamarine Freeway'.
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