Deer park bypass, Victoria
At a glance
The Deer Park Bypass (DPB) is a jointly funded project between the Victorian Government and the Federal Government.
The challenge
VicRoads engaged Leighton Contractors to design and construct the DPB in Western Melbourne. GHD was commissioned by Leighton Contractors to prepare the detailed civil and structural design works and associated structures for the project.
The DPB is a four-lane freeway link extending 9.3km from the Western Highway at Caroline Springs to the Western Ring Road at Sunshine West. The DPB allows traffic to travel from the Ring Road at freeway speeds, avoiding 20 intersections and many traffic signals compared to the old Western Highway route.
Our response
The project involved the delivery of:
- Two lanes of freeway standard road in each direction
- Freeway interchanges with direct access to the Western Highway, Christies Road, Robinsons Road and the Western Ring Road
- Overpasses of the Melbourne-Ballarat rail line and Riding Boundary Road
- Underpass at Mt Derrimut Road
- Noise walls
- Off-structure barriers
- Sign gantries and a new shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists
There are 13 separate bridges on the project, including six at the Western Ring Road interchange. The bridges are typically one or two span with simply supported prestressed concrete beams. A seven span curved structure over the Western Ring Road includes two composite steel and concrete box girder spans.
The DPB was opened to the public in April 2009.