Chandler Highway

Last updated

Chandler Highway

Victoria
Traffic on Chandler Highway, Kew.jpg
Chandler Highway, Kew
General information
TypeHighway
Length1.4 km (0.9 mi) [1]
Route number(s) Australian state route 21.svg Metro Route 21 (1965–present)
Entire route
Former
route number		Australian state route 2.svg Metro Route 2 (1965–1989)
(Alphington–Kew)
Tourist routesAustralian Tourist Drive 2.svg Tourist Route 2
(Alphington–Kew)
Major junctions
North endAustralian state route 21.svgGrange Road
Alphington, Melbourne
 
South endEarl Street
Kew, Melbourne
Highway system

The Chandler Highway is a short road in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It runs from Heidelberg Road in Alphington, crosses the Yarra River, then continues across the Eastern Freeway, then terminates at an intersection with Princess Street and Earl Street. Its total length is less than 2 kilometres, leading to the claim that it is "the shortest highway in the world". [2] It was named after a prominent local businessman and politician A. E. Chandler, who was instrumental in pushing through the development of the Outer Circle railway. [3]

Contents

History

The Fairfield Park to Riversdale section of the Outer Circle railway line opened on 24 March 1891, running from Fairfield station onwards through Riversdale to East Camberwell station, and eventually south to Oakleigh. [4] It closed shortly after in 1893 from service cuts due to a lack of passengers, leaving behind a dis-used railway bridge crossing the Yarra River. After the rails were lifted from the bridge in 1919, [5] the remaining single-track railway line, running from Fairfield station through the middle of the Heidelberg Road-Chandler Highway intersection, became the Australian Paper Manufacturers siding; the siding was later removed in the mid-1990s. [5] The bridge was re-purposed as the "Chandler High-way" road crossing in 1930, [3] crossing the river and subsuming the length of Fulham Road south of Heidelberg Road the former railway had cut through. [6] [7]

The passing of the Chandler Highway and Bridge Act 1954 [7] through the Parliament of Victoria on 4 May 1954, declared the Chandler Highway over the former rail-bridge a "public highway"; shortly after, the bridge underwent major maintenance, deck renewal and strengthening old trusses, by the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads) commencing in December 1954 without undue interference with traffic; subsequent discovery of the amount of steel corrosion was much greater than expected, [8] lengthening the completion time well into the following year. [9] The Board later declared Chandler Highway a Main Road in the 1959/60 financial year, [10] from Heidelberg-Eltham Road (today Heidelberg Road) in Alphington, to Princess Street in Kew. [10]

Chandler Highway was signed as Metropolitan Route 21 in 1965. It shared a concurrency with Metropolitan Route 2, from Yarra Boulevard on the southern bank of the river, to the road's northern terminus with Heidelberg Road, also signed in 1965; this was replaced by Tourist Route 2 in 1989.

The passing of the Road Management Act 2004 [11] granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: in 2004, VicRoads re-declared the road as Chandler Highway (Arterial #5859). [12]

The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan shows the Chandler Highway as part of the F6 Freeway corridor which would eventually link up to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway.

The Chandler Highway was originally planned to be extended east along the former Outer Circle railway line corridor to where Earl, Asquith and Valerie Streets intersect; the extension was to end at High Street in East Kew, [13] and although the route is still listed as a 'proposed arterial' in 1980s editions of the Melway street directory, the reserve has since been landscaped. At the diamond interchange with the Eastern Freeway, there are visible pavements reserved for smooth (elevated) entry/exit ramps yet to be constructed.

Old Chandler Highway Bridge

The former Outer Circle railway bridge ca.1905-ca.1928. Outer Circle railway bridge over the Yarra River.jpg
The former Outer Circle railway bridge ca.1905-ca.1928.

The (Old) Chandler Highway Bridge is a four-span iron box girder and brick bridge crossing the Yarra River, connecting Alphington and Kew. Pairs of red brick piers mark the approaches, and have heavy moulded bluestone cappings. The girders are diagonally braced, with original wrought iron lattice balustrading. The bridge has a cantilevered walkway along the west side. The railway bridge over the Yarra River was started in February 1889 but not completed until November 1890; the supervising engineer was John Monash. [14]

The bridge is one of the few 19th century bridges remaining in the metropolitan area. The bridge is a local landmark, being substantially intact and a prominent element in the area. [14] On 30 June 2016, the bridge was added to the Victorian Heritage Register. [15] It underwent a restoration once the new Chandler Highway bridges had been constructed in 2019, and today is a dedicated shared pedestrian and cycling path. [15]

Congestion

Until the opening of the new bridge in March 2019, the highway was badly congested with traffic, since the four-lane highway needed to be funnelled into the two lanes of the old railway bridge to cross the Yarra. The bridge on the Chandler Highway regularly featured highly in the RACV/Leader bi-annual Redspot survey of Melbourne's worst points of traffic congestion, and in 2014 was named in the survey as the worst point of congestion in Melbourne. [16]

New bridge proposals

The bridge sits on the boundary of the State Electoral Districts of Kew and Northcote. The State Member for Northcote, Fiona Richardson (Labor) led a community campaign during the term of Premier John Brumby (2007–10) in advocating for the bridge to be duplicated.

In October 2010, VicRoads released four proposed options for improving the Yarra River crossing with a new bridge: [17]

With the Northcote electorate being one of the few battleground contests between Labor and the Greens Political Parties at the 2010 State Election, the Chandler Highway Bridge became a key election issue. The Labor Party committed to duplicating the bridge, while the Greens opposed such duplication. The seat was subsequently held by Labor, but the Party lost the state election to the Liberal National Coalition government. Plans to duplicate the bridge halted.

In the intervening period the Amcor Paper Mill on the corner of Heidelberg Rd and Chandler Highway, Alphington ceased operations and vacated the site in 2012 before it was sold in mid 2013. [19] Successive State governments gave high level approval for residential development at the site subject to detailed planning, to address the likely increased traffic congestion in an already gridlocked area.

On 15 June 2014 Labor Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews and Fiona Richardson announced that Labor would commit $110 million to fixing Chandler Highway with construction works to commence immediately, if Labor was elected to govern at the 2014 State Election to be held on 29 November. [20]

New Chandler Highway Bridge

New bicycle path underpass works at Chandler Highway March 2019 Chandler Hwy Bicycle Path Works March 2019.jpg
New bicycle path underpass works at Chandler Highway March 2019

Upon its election in 2014, the Labor government announced that construction would proceed on a new six-lane bridge on the western side. [21] This met with some objections by residents, concerned about the proximity of the road to their residences, but the then Roads Minister Luke Donnellan stated that this was a more environmentally sensitive option, which allowed Guide Dogs Victoria to continue operating on their present site. [22] Construction commenced in mid-2017, all six lanes were opened to traffic in March 2019, and all work was declared complete in July 2019, [23] with the old bridge converted for use by pedestrians and cyclists. [15] The project also included the construction of a bicycle underpass under the Chandler Hwy for the Main Yarra Trail, eradicating the need for cyclists to ascend 79 steps to reach the Highway and regain the Trail on the other side. [24]

Major intersections

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Darebin–Yarra boundary Alphington 0.00.0Australian state route 21.svg Grange Road (Metro Route 21 north) – Reservoir Northern terminus of highway at traffic lights; road & Metro Route 21 continues north as Grange Road
Australian state route 46.svgAustralian Tourist Drive 2.svg Heidelberg Road (Metro Route 46 east, west/Tourist Route 2 east) – Heidelberg, Greensborough, Clifton Hill, Melbourne Northern terminus of concurrency with Tourist Route 2
Yarra River 0.50.31Chandler Bridge
Boroondara Kew 0.70.43Australian Tourist Drive 2.svg Yarra Boulevard (Tourist Route 2)Southern terminus of concurrency with Tourist Route 2
1.10.68AUS Alphanumeric Route M3.svg Eastern Freeway (M3) – Frankston, Ringwood, City Diamond interchange
1.40.87Australian state route 21.svg Princess Street (Metro Route 21 south) – Kew, Burnley Metro Route 21 continues south at Princess Street
Earl Street (east) – Balwyn Southern terminus of highway at traffic lights; road continues east as Earl Street

See also

Australia road sign W5-29.svg   Australian Roadsportal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairfield, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Fairfield is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km (3.7 mi) north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Darebin and Yarra local government areas. Fairfield recorded a population of 6,535 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alphington, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Alphington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km (4.3 mi) north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Darebin and Yarra local government areas. Alphington recorded a population of 5,702 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northcote, Victoria</span> Suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Northcote is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km (4.3 mi) north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Darebin local government area. Northcote recorded a population of 25,276 at the 2021 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westgarth railway station</span> Railway station in Melbourne, Australia

Westgarth railway station is located on the Hurstbridge line in Victoria, Australia. It serves the north-eastern Melbourne suburb of Northcote, and opened on 8 May 1888 as Westgarth Street. It was renamed Northcote South on 1 August 1888, and Westgarth on 10 December 1906.

The South Gippsland Highway is a partially divided highway in Victoria, Australia which connects the city of Melbourne with the South Gippsland region of Victoria, ending in the town of Sale. The highway begins at Lonsdale Street, Dandenong. At the Greens Road intersection, it adopts Metropolitan Route 12 until Pound Road, then continues until the South Gippsland Freeway / Western Port Highway interchange where it becomes the M420. The M420 continues through Cranbourne and Koo Wee Rup until the Bass Highway turnoff, at which point the road is then designated A440 onwards to Sale. From the Bass Highway junction, the highway is undivided. The South Gippsland Highway is the gateway from Melbourne to many attractions including Wilsons Promontory and Phillip Island as well as being an important road for farmers in Gippsland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurstbridge line</span> Passenger rail service in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The Hurstbridge Line is a commuter railway line in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh longest metropolitan railway line at 36.7 kilometres (22.8 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street Station in central Melbourne to Hurstbridge Station in the north-east, serving 28 stations via Clifton Hill Station, Heidelberg Station, Macleod Station, Watsonia Station, Greensborough Station, Eltham Station, and Diamond Creek Station. The line operates for approximately 19 hours a day with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 15 minutes are operated with services every 20–30 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Hurstbridge Line run with a two three-car formations of X'Trapolis 100 trainsets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoddle Highway</span> Highway in Melbourne, Victoria

Hoddle Highway is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, itself a sub-section of Hoddle Main Road. Both these names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts: Hoddle Street, Punt Road and Barkly Street. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Gate Freeway</span>

The West Gate Freeway is a major freeway in Melbourne, the busiest urban freeway and the busiest road in Australia, carrying upwards of 200,000 vehicles per day. It links Geelong and Melbourne's western suburbs to central Melbourne and beyond. It is also a link between Melbourne and the west and linking industrial and residential areas west of the Yarra River with the city and port areas. The West Gate Bridge is a part of the freeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monash Freeway</span> Freeway in Victoria, Australia

The Monash Freeway is a major urban freeway in Victoria, Australia, linking Melbourne's CBD to its south-eastern suburbs and beyond to the Gippsland region. It carries up to 180,000 vehicles per day and is one of Australia's busiest freeways. The entire stretch of the Monash Freeway bears the designation M1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Freeway (Melbourne)</span>

The Eastern Freeway is an urban freeway in eastern Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. It is one of the most important freeways in terms of commuting to the city, connecting Alexandra Parade and Hoddle Street in the inner suburbs, with EastLink tollway farther east. It consists of between three and six lanes in each direction, also an inbound transit lane reserved for vehicles with two or more occupants during peak hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burke Road</span> Road in Melbourne, Australia

Burke Road is a major north–south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Ivanhoe East to Caulfield East and through the major shopping district at Camberwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greensborough Highway</span>

Greensborough Highway is a highway in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and is an important route for north-east Melbourne. This name is not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts: Lower Heidelberg Road, Rosanna Road, Lower Plenty Road, Greensborough Road and Greensborough Bypass. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.

Yarra Bank Highway is a short urban highway in central Melbourne, Australia. It runs parallel to the Yarra River and provides an important alternate route to CityLink's Domain and Burnley Tunnels, used by trucks carrying hazardous loads prohibited from the tunnels, and provides another route when the tunnels are closed for maintenance. Prior to the construction of CityLink, the highway provided the main link between the Monash Freeway and the West Gate Freeway. It is known along its route as Power Street, City Road, Alexandra Avenue and Olympic Boulevard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State (Bell/Springvale) Highway</span> Highway in Melbourne, Victoria

State (Bell/Springvale) Highway, also known as Bell Street/Springvale Road State Highway, is the longest self-contained urban highway in Melbourne, Australia, linking Tullamarine Freeway and Nepean Highway through Melbourne's north-eastern suburbs. These names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts : Bell Street, Banksia Street, Manningham Road, Williamsons Road, Doncaster Road, Mitcham Road, Springvale Road and Edithvale Road. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completeness, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Northcote</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The City of Northcote was a local government area about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 17.62 square kilometres (6.80 sq mi), and existed from 1883 until 1994.

The North East Link is an under construction 10–kilometre tolled motorway scheme in Melbourne, Australia. Its stated objective is to connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen, where the freeway would be upgraded from Hoddle Street to Springvale Road at Nunawading.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Yarra Trail</span>

The Main Yarra Trail, also known as the Yarra Trail is a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Yarra River through the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doncaster–Eltham Road</span>

Doncaster–Eltham Road is a major arterial road in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This name is not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts: Fitzsimons Lane and Williamsons Road. This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion, as well to avoid confusion between declarations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidelberg Road</span> Road in Melbourne, Victoria

Heidelberg Road is a major arterial road through the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It was the first road in Victoria outside the township of Melbourne. Heidelberg Road was the main route for people travelling to Heidelberg, from the mid to late 1800s.

References

  1. ↑ Google (19 October 2021). "Chandler Highway" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Only Melbourne.com
  3. 1 2 "Darebin Heritage: Chandler Highway, Alphington". City of Darebin Libraries. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  4. ↑ David Beardsell and Bruce Herbert (1979). The Outer Circle: A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). ISBN   0-85849-024-2.
  5. 1 2 S Cauchi (November 1994). "Closure of the Australian Paper Ltd siding at Fairfield". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 328–331.
  6. ↑ According to "Darebin Historical Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2006. it was renamed in 1994. The 1966 Melway appears to contradict this: "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. 1 2 Chandler Highway and Bridge Act 1954
  8. ↑ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Forty-Second Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1955". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 1 December 1955. p. 33.
  9. ↑ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Forty-Second Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1956". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 23 November 1956. p. 22.
  10. 1 2 "Country Roads Board Victoria. Forty-Seventh Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1960". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 21 November 1960. pp. 10–12.
  11. ↑ State Government of Victoria. "Road Management Act 2004" (PDF). Government of Victoria. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  12. ↑ VicRoads. "VicRoads – Register of Public Roads (Part A) 2015" (PDF). Government of Victoria. p. 803. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Country Roads Board Victoria. Sixty-Fourth Annual Report: for the year ended 30 June 1977". Country Roads Board of Victoria. Melbourne: Victorian Government Library Service. 30 September 1977. p. 15.
  14. 1 2 "City of Yarra Heritage Review: Building Citations". Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 "Chandler Highway heritage bridge restoration complete". Major Road Projects Victoria. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "2014 RACV Redspot Survey Results | Redspot survey". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  17. ↑ Northcote Leader: Hopes for Chandler Highway bridge fix Archived 25 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Boroondara BUG – Chandler Hwy Environs
  19. ↑ "Amcor mill site sells for $120 million". 29 June 2013.
  20. ↑ "Labor vows to duplicate Chandler Highway bridge to ease congestion | Herald Sun". Archived from the original on 15 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Chandler Highway Upgrade : VicRoads". Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  22. ↑ Lucas, Clay (26 July 2017). "'Not Everybody's Happy', but $110m Yarra Bridge will ease Chandler Highway woes". The Age. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  23. ↑ "New Chandler Highway bridge complete". Major Road Projects Victoria. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  24. ↑ "Chandler Highway". Bicycle Network. 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.