Metropolitan Ring Road
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M80 Ring Road Western Ring Road / Metropolitan Ring Road Victoria |
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|---|---|
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| Type | Freeway |
| Length | 38 km (24 mi) |
| Opened | 1992–1999 |
| Route number(s) |
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| Former route number |
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| SW end | |
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for full list see exits and interchanges. |
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| NE end | |
| Major suburbs / towns | Sunshine West, Ardeer, Cairnlea, St. Albans, Keilor East, Keilor Park, Tullamarine, Airport West, Gowanbrae, Campbellfield, Thomastown, Bundoora |
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Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Victoria |
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M80 (2013–present)
Ring Road 80 (unknown)
State Route 80 (1992–1997)
National Highway M80 (1997–2013)
for full list see exits and interchanges.
The M80 Ring Road, more formally known as the Western Ring Road and Metropolitan Ring Road, is an urban freeway corridor in Melbourne, Australia. It connects the northern suburbs and western suburbs to other Victorian urban and rural freeways:
It is linked to the eastern suburbs by the shorter Metropolitan Ring Road; the two are collectively called 'the Ring Road', and are generally considered together on traffic reports. It is signed as route M80 for its entire length.
The road relieves freight traffic from Sydney Road, Pascoe Vale Road and Geelong Road and funnels them to the freeways. With connections to every major interstate and regional freeways, it has encouraged both industrial and residential growth in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Over the past few years there have been discussions about extending the Metropolitan Ring Road from Greensborough Road and tunnelling it under Greensborough and going through the Banyule Flats and connecting to the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen.
A study has been initiated by VicRoads to supplement the Western Ring Road with an Outer Metropolitan Ring Road.
A major upgrade of the entire route commenced in 2009 and was partially completed in 2014, and includes widening and a Freeway Management System. Construction on the Sunshine Avenue to Calder Freeway section commenced on 2 October 2016 and is expected to be completed in late 2018. The three remaining sections are currently in planning with the full upgrade expected to be complete in late 2020.
The Ring Road project was proposed as part of the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan (F3, F5 & F7 Freeway corridors) and has documented in almost every edition of the Melway Street Directory since that time. Construction of the Western Ring Road began in 1989 with work on the Broadmeadows section, and was completed with the final link between the Calder and Tullamarine Freeways. Under the Keating Commonwealth government, a total $555 million was provided by the Federal Government for the Western Ring Road, with a $76 million contribution from the Victorian Government.
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