Princes Freeway

Princes Freeway
Princes Freeway at Lara Formerly
Length	159 km (99 mi)
Direction	West - East
From	Geelong Ring Road, Corio, Geelong
Major suburbs	Geelong, Little River, Werribee, Warragul, Trafalgar, Moe, Morwell
To	Princes Highway, Traralgon, Victoria
Allocation	M1 (Australia)
Major junctions	Western section Princes Highway Western Ring Road Princes Highway Eastern section Princes Highway Old Princes Highway Strzelecki Highway for full list see Exits & Intersections

See also: Geelong Ring Road, West Gate Freeway, and Monash Freeway

The Princes Freeway is a 159 kilometres (99 mi), 2 section freeway, which links Melbourne to Geelong on the west (47 kilometres (29 mi)) and Morwell on the east (112 kilometres (70 mi)). It continues beyond these extremities as the Princes Highway towards Adelaide to the west and Sydney to the east. The freeway bears the designation M1.

The western section linking Geelong and Melbourne is an important commuter and freight route between the two cities; the eastern section links Melbourne with the Latrobe Valley. The entire freeway is one of the busiest sections of rural highway in Victoria, used by large numbers of freight and commercial vehicles and provides access to tourist attractions in central and east Gippsland. It supports Victoria's rural industries and tourism.

Current route

The western section (also known as Princes Freeway West or Geelong Road) starts from Altona at the West Gate Interchange, where the Western Ring Road and the old Geelong Road can be accessed by off ramps, and ends at Geelong. This section ranges from six lanes (three in each direction) between Geelong and Werribee, to ten lanes near the Ring Road interchange. It is a high quality freeway with a speed limit of 100km/h.

The eastern section (also known as Princes Freeway East) starts from Berwick, a four lane (two lanes in each direction) divided freeway. There are also several highway standard at-grade intersections, most notably between Nar Nar Goon and Longwarry. These intersections are speed limited to 100 km/h, with the only 110 km/h section on the freeway from Longwarry to Morwell. However, traffic still travel through the towns of Yarragon and Trafalgar, therefore urban speed limits apply to these towns (between 60 and 80km/h) where the road reverts to the Princes Highway (though planning for bypasses of these towns are underway).

The western and eastern sections are connected together through the Melbourne suburbs by the West Gate Freeway, CityLink Tollway and the Monash Freeway. These five sections of road together constitute the route M1 which is part of National Highway 1.

The Princes Freeway subsumes and bypasses most sections of the older Princes Highway. Former bypassed sections of the Princes Highway are generally signed with a National Route Alt 1 shield (within eastern Melbourne) or designated from C101 to C104 and C109.

In March 2010 it was announced by the State Government that trucks would be banned from the right-hand lane along a 38-kilometre section of freeway between Geelong and Melbourne. Suggestions of a ban began in 2005 but increased after the fatal 2007 Burnley Tunnel fire that killed three people. The ban was put into place from 1 July 2010 between Kororoit Creek Road, Altona, and Avalon Road, Lara and covers all heavy vehicles weighing more than 4.5 tonnes, except buses and caravans. A fine of $358 applies to those breaking the rules, the ban being a trial before a full roll-out on the other major roads in the state.

Western section

Princes Freeway West (Geelong Road)
Northbound exits	Exit Number Distance to Melbourne		Southbound exits
End Princes Freeway West continues as West Gate Freeway to Melbourne	-- (15km)		Start Princes Freeway West from West Gate Freeway
Footscray, Parkville Princes Highway	W9 (15km)
Adelaide, Sydney Western Ring Road	W10 (15km)
Williamstown Kororoit Creek Road	11 (17km)		Williamstown, Tarneit Kororoit Creek Road
Tarneit, Deer Park Old Geelong Road Fitzgerald Road	12 (18km)		no exit
GEELONG RAIL LINE	-- (20km)		GEELONG RAIL LINE
Laverton High Street	13 (21km)		Altona Meadows Newland Street
Laverton, Point Cook Point Cook Road via Aviation Road	14 (22km)		Point Cook, Laverton Point Cook Road via Central Avenue
no exit	15 (23km)		Point Cook Palmers Road
Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook Forsyth Road Boardwalk Boulevard	16 (24km)		Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing Boardwalk Boulevard Forsyth Road
Hoppers Crossing, Werribee Princes Highway	17 (26km)		Hoppers Crossing, Werribee Princes Highway
no exit	19 (31km)		Werribee Open Range Zoo, Werribee Duncans Road
Northbound exits	Distance to Melbourne (km)	Distance to Geelong (km)	Southbound exits
Werribee Princes Highway	37	36	Werribee Princes Highway
Little River, Cocoroc Little River Road South Road	46	27	Cocoroc, Little River South Road Little River Road
no exit	49	24	Point Wilson Point Wilson Road Argyle Street
BP SERVICE CENTRE	54	19	BP SERVICE CENTRE
To Old Melbourne Road, Point Wilson Beach Road	56	17	Point Wilson, To Old Melbourne Road Beach Road
Lara, Avalon Avalon Road	60	13	Avalon, Lara Avalon Road
GEELONG RAIL LINE	63	10	Corio, Geelong Princes Highway
			North Shore Shell Parade
			GEELONG RAIL LINE
Start Princes Freeway West from Geelong Ring Road			End Princes Freeway West continues as Geelong Ring Road to Colac / Warrnambool

Note Exits are numbered to Duncans Road only.

Source

Princes Freeway West on Google Maps.

Eastern section

Princes Freeway East
Northbound exits	Exit Number Distance to Melbourne		Southbound exits
End Princes Freeway East continues as Monash Freeway to Melbourne	-- (44km)		Start Princes Freeway East from Monash Freeway
Dandenong, Berwick Princes Highway	23 (44km)
GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE	-- (45km)		GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE
Cranbourne, Berwick Clyde Road	24 (46km)		Berwick, Cranbourne Clyde Road
Westbound exits / intersections	Distance to Melbourne (km)	Distance to Traralgon (km)	Eastbound exits / intersections
no exit	49	116	Beaconsfield, Officer Princes Highway
BP SERVICE CENTRE	51	114	BP SERVICE CENTRE
Cardinia, Officer Cardinia Road	55	110	Officer, Cardinia Cardinia Road
no exit	58	107	Pakenham, Rythdale McGregor Road
Koo Wee Rup, Pakenham Koo Wee Rup Road	60	105	Pakenham, Koo Wee Rup Koo Wee Rup Road
GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE	62	103	GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE
Nar Nar Goon, Pakenham Nar Nar Goon Road Princes Highway	69	96	Pakenham, Nar Nar Goon Princes Highway Nar Nar Goon Road
Maryknoll Snell Road	71	94	Maryknoll Snell Road
Tynong, Bunyip State Park Tynong Road Tynong North Road	73	92	Bunyip State Park, Tynong Tynong North Road Tynong Road
Gumbuya Park	76	89	Gumbuya Park
Garfield, Garfield North Garfield Road Garfield North Road	78	87	Garfield North, Garfield Garfield North Road Garfield Road
Tonimbuk Tonimbuk Road	80	85	Tonimbuk Tonimbuk Road
Bunyip Nash Road	82	83	Bunyip Nash Road
Longwarry, Labertouche Sand Road	88	77	BP SERVICE CENTRE
BP SERVICE CENTRE			Labertouche, Longwarry Sand Road
Drouin, Mount Baw Baw Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way)	93	72	Mount Baw Baw, Drouin Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way)
Drouin, Warragul Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way)	100	65	Warragul, Drouin Drouin-Warragul Road (Princes Way)
GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE			GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE
Korumburra, Warragul Warragul-Korumburra Road	106	59	Warragul, Korumburra Warragul-Korumburra Road
Nilma, Noojee Bloomfield Road (Princes Way)	109	56	Noojee, Nilma Bloomfield Road (Princes Way)
Cloverlea, Darnum East-West Road	113	52	Darnum, Cloverlea East-West Road
Start Freeway	118	47	End Freeway
Shady Creek Yarragon-Shady Creek Road	119	46	Yarragon
Yarragon			Shady Creek Yarragon-Shady Creek Road
Willow Grove, Mount Baw Baw Willow Grove Road Thorpdale Trafalgar-Thorpdale Road	125	40	Willow Grove, Mount Baw Baw Willow Grove Road Thorpdale Trafalgar-Thorpdale Road
Trafalgar	126	39	Trafalgar
End Freeway	128	37	Start Freeway
Moe Moe-Glengarry Road via Lloyd Street Link Road	134	31	Moe Moe-Glengarry Road
Moe, Newborough Moe-Glengarry Road	138	27	Newborough, Glengarry Moe-Glengarry Road
Hernes Oak Morwell-Yallourn Road	142	23	Hernes Oak Morwell-Yallourn Road
no exit	147.5	17.5	Morwell Morwell-Traralgon Road (Princes Drive)
Leongatha, Morwell Strzelecki Highway	148	17	Morwell, Leongatha Strzelecki Highway
Churchill, Morwell Monash Way	153	12	Morwell, Churchill Monash Way
GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE	156	9	GIPPSLAND RAIL LINE
Morwell Morwell-Traralgon Road (Princes Drive)			End Princes Freeway East continues as Princes Highway to Traralgon / Sale
Start Princes Freeway East from Princes Highway

Note Exits are numbered to Clyde Road only.

Source

Princes Freeway East on Google Maps.

Landslip and Morwell section closure

On Thursday 10 February 2011 a major landslip occurred adjacent to the freeway on the outskirts of Morwell. Although the freeway itself did not disintegrate, the entire M1 Morwell bypass section was closed and will remain so indefinitely; pending a thorough investigation.

Recent upgrades

Traralgon Bypass & Duplication to Sale

Vicroads has completed a final startegy and plans for the M1 Traralgon Bypass. 4 options were put to the public, with Option 2 chosen as the preferred route. Construction is expected to begin in early 2012. East of Traralgon, the A1 between Traralgon and Sale is currently being duplicated and upgraded to M road standard.

Geelong Ring Road

Main article: Geelong Ring Road

The Federal and State Government announced the construction of a new bypass extending 23 kilometres along Geelong's western outskirts from the Princes Freeway in Corio to the Princes Highway in Waurn Ponds. Drivers using the Bypass between Corio and Waurn Ponds will avoid up to 29 sets of traffic lights, with a travel time at freeway speeds of less than 15 minutes compared with the current 25 - 60 minute trip through Geelong.

The Federal Government allocated $186 million in funding with the State Government providing the remainder, giving a total of $380 million. Construction works for Section 1, between Corio and Bell Post Hill commenced in February 2006. Contracts for Section 2, between Hamlyn Heights and Fyansford, commenced in September 2006 and construction of Section 3, between Fyansford and Waurn Ponds, commenced in November 2007. All 3 stages were scheduled for completion in June 2009.

Pakenham bypass

The Pakenham Bypass was the final missing link of a continuous freeway from Melbourne to Gippsland in the East of Victoria (excluding the single sets of traffic lights in the small rural towns of Yarragon and Trafalgar). Federal and State Governments jointly funded construction of the bypass at a cost of $242 million which commenced in April 2005 and was completed on 1 December 2007.The 24km freeway which runs from Beaconsfield to Nar Nar Goon bypasses the townships of Pakenham and Officer and provides an important link between Gippsland and Melbourne.

Sources:

• Bypass eases town traffic
• Community celebrates the completion of the Pakenham bypass
• All go for a bypass
• Boom times ahead - The Age paper
• Vicroads, Pakenham Bypass

Future upgrades

Safety improvements

Proposed safety improvements, Princes Freeway East - Nar Nar Goon to Longwarry North, included in the Victorian Government's Auslink 2 funding statement National Transport Links - Growing Victoria's Economy (aka "the Mothership") [1].

Traralgon Bypass

Planning for a bypass of Traralgon commenced in 2004 with public hearings being held on route options. It is expected that a bypass will not be needed for many years, as the volume of bypassable traffic on the Princes Highway in Traralgon is relatively low at present, but planning will ensure route will be available in the future.

Princes Highway East

Proposed duplication of the Princes Highway - Traralgon to Sale, to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009-2014) [2].

Princes Highway West

Proposed duplication of the Princes Hwy - Waurn Ponds to Colac, to be funded by Auslink 2 (2009-2014) [3].

See also

• Freeways in Australia
• Freeways in Victoria

External links

• Princes Freeway West at Main Roads Victoria