Mornington Peninsula Freeway

• 1971 - 1.5 miles opened December 1971 from Nepean Highway to McCulloch Street.[5]
• 1972 - One mile opened December 1972 of 2.5 miles south-west from the Nepean Highway at Dromana.[6]
• 1973 – 4 km opened north-east from Jetty Road, Rosebud, in December 1973.[7]
• 1975 - Completed between Nepean Hwy, Dromana and Jetty Road, Rosebud, with the opening of the A$7m Kangerong Avenue overpass, Dromana in July 1975.[3]
• 1977 – 2 km section from Eel Race Drain to the Frankston Freeway opened November 1976.[8]
• 1980 - 6.7 km opened from Springvale Road to Frankston Freeway, 18 March 1980, by Minister for Transport, the Hon Robert Maclellan MLA, at a cost of A$14m.[2]
• 1984 – An initial 5 km single two-lane carriageway between Dromana and the Nepean Highway at Mount Martha is opened by the Federal Minister for Transport, the Hon. Peter Morris MHR on 8 June 1984. The project included dual carriageways over the Nepean Highway interchange and at the approaches to Dromana.[9]
• 1989 – Dromana to Mount Martha duplicate carriageway completed on 16 May 1989 at a cost of A$5m.[10]
• 1994 - Mooorooduc Road to Nepean Highway, Mount Martha. The 6 km second carriageway was completed in May 1994, at a cost of A$2.5m. The initial carriageway was completed and opened to traffic in June 1993.[4]

In September 2018 flexible safety barriers were installed between Jetty Road and Boneo Road along the freeway.[11] Barriers were also installed along the centre of the road which were completed in December 2018.[11] In 2018 noise walls on the freeway have also been campaigned for in Safety Beach, Dromana, McCrae and Rosebud.[12]

In early 2017 digital real-time travel time signage was installed to assist motorists make informed travel choices on the Mornington Peninsula Freeway which is still installed today.[13]

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, a Frankston Bypass. Vicroads however does not anticipate such congestion on the Frankston Freeway will actually occur. Federal MP Bruce Billson however, believed otherwise, and raising this issue in the local press as these roads are strictly a state responsibility.

The Victorian minister for Transport, Peter Batchelor, 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, pushed for the bypass to be built in any case.

Since that time, and the recent State Election, Peninsula Link (Frankston Bypass) was given approval, has now been completed and was opened on 18 January 2013.

When the Peninsula Link was opened in January 2013, the route numbers were slightly altered. The Frankston Freeway carries the M3 route from the EastLink interchange, while the whole of Mornington Peninsula Freeway, including the Peninsula Link, is designated M11. The freeway, along with the Moorooduc Highway, was previously signed with a State Route 11 shield.

A reservation for a northern extension of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway between Springvale Road, Aspendale Gardens and the (now completed) Dingley Bypass, Dingley Village has been in place for many years. The reservation is bordered by residential housing, industrial estates and Braeside Park.

In October 2014 a feasibility study found that a freeway standard road was not required. However, an arterial road, now known as the Mordialloc Bypass, in the freeway reservation was considered to be the optimal solution. If in the future any freeway is considered it will be most likely that the Dingley Arterial would be upgraded to freeway standard. The 2014 State Budget included $10.6 million over 4 years to undertake detailed planning and project development. An arterial road would probably consist of a divided road, at grade traffic light controlled intersections, a speed limit of 80 km/h and bike/pedestrian paths.

On 2 May 2017 the Victorian Government announced that it had allocated $300 million in the State budget to completing the Mordialloc Bypass. It will be completed as an Arterial road however an overpass is to be constructed at the Springvale Road intersection. Construction is planned to commence in mid 2019 and be completed by late 2021.[15]

On 9 April 2018 the State Labor government announced an extra $75 million in funding and that the Mordialloc Bypass would now be built as a Freeway with four lanes instead of an Arterial road. Grade separations would now occur along the entire length and as such this section would now be known as the Mordialloc Freeway and carry the M11 designation.[16]

In October 2018 the Victorian Government produced plans for the freeway and there was a public consultation period.[17] The official interactive plans and concept images can be viewed on the Major Road Projects Victoria website.[18]

The project currently has two preferred contractors CPB/Seymour Whyte Joint Venture and McConnell Dowell/Decmil Joint Venture which have submitted tenders to build the freeway. A preferred contractor will be announced in early 2019.[19]

The government promises the freeway will shave 10 minutes off journeys during evening peak hour between the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and the Dingley Bypass with the freeway carrying 80,000 cars daily by 2031.[20] The Mordialloc Freeway is set to remove up to 13,000 trucks from the nearby local and arterial roads each day.[19] It will also improve access to Monash, Melbourne's largest employment area outside of the CBD, and to the Moorabbin Airport area.[20] The Dingley Bypass will also have an extra 7900 cars daily due to the freeway in 2031.[20] Noise walls are also expected along the new Mordialloc Freeway to reduce vehicle noise near residential areas as well as a shared user path along the entire freeway.[17]

In July 2018 the Mornington Peninsula council conducted a Southern Peninsula Arterial Corridor Investigation with plans to extend the freeway south to Blairgowrie through the Tootgarook Wetlands.[21] A public acquisition overlay exists from the end of the Mornington Peninsula Freeway to Melbourne Rd which has reserved the land for a freeway extension.[22] A full freeway would cost $500 million with additional bridges over the wetlands costing $3 billion in total.[21] The freeway extension would terminate at Melbourne Road at the intersection of Canterbury Jetty Road in Blairgowrie after bypassing Rye, Tootgarook and Capel Sound. Currently where the southern section reaches Jetty Road in Rosebud, freeway conditions end, with a two-lane, single carriageway 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 a decade. In July 2018 the Rye Internal Bypass was another project proposed to reduce traffic congestion in the area in the medium term at a cost of $5 million.[21]

The Baillieu government committed $200,000 to a congestion study for the southern peninsula which was completed in 2012.[23]