Bass Highway, Kilcunda safety and access improvements

Update - August 2024

Works are progressing well on the safety and accessibility upgrades on the Bass Highway, Kilcunda.

We’ve almost completed road widening and drainage works for the westbound lane towards Melbourne and similar works on the eastbound lane are well underway.

Underground works to prepare for new street lighting and new pedestrian signals have been completed and upgrades to existing street lighting are progressing.

Upcoming works will include:

• Installation of new street lighting poles
• A new layer of road surface along the length of the project
• Construction of concrete kerbing and traffic islands, the new service road, new bus stops and shelters
• Installation of new pedestrian operated signals across the Bass Highway
• Preparing for landscaping along the length of the project.

The project is on track for completion in late 2024.

Traffic impacts 

Traffic management will be in place with a reduced speed of 40km/h to allow you to safely navigate the area whilst works are being undertaken.

Delays of up to five minutes are expected so please plan ahead and drive to the conditions for the safety of our workers, other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

To protect pedestrian safety, please use the temporary pedestrian crossing on the Bass Highway while works are underway.

Details

The upgrades will include:

• Pedestrian operated traffic lights opposite Kilcunda General Store to improve pedestrian safety and access to and from the Bass Coast Rail Trail and main retail area in Kilcunda. 
• Increased car parking with 39 new car parks being created (including two disabled car parks). 
• Dedicated right-turn lane into Kilcunda Foreshore Reserve and Bass Highway Service Road to improve safety and access for road users. 
• Dedicated left and right-turn lanes into: 
  • the caravan park/holiday retreat entrance 
  • Kilcunda Ridge Road 
  • Peppermint Road 
  • Carew Street. 
• New concrete footpath connecting the pedestrian operated traffic signals facility with the Bass Coast Rail Trail. 
• Pedestrian refuge on Bass Highway at Bass Coast Rail Trail crossing point. 
• New bus stop facilities each side of Bass Highway. 
• New streetlighting to improve pedestrian safety and visibility for both pedestrians and road users. 
• Painted median/separation of opposing traffic from west of Kilcunda Ridge Road to west of Ridgeway Road, to reduce the risk of crashes. 

Benefits

The key benefits include:

• Improved pedestrian access and safety crossing Bass Highway
• Improved traffic flow through Kilcunda
• Increased car parking 
• Improved access to and from Bass Highway 
• Improved access to public transport services. 

Illustration only, designs subject to change

View a larger version of the above image

Illustration only, designs subject to change

Background

Kilcunda is a seaside town located along the Bass Highway, 117 kilometres south east of Melbourne. It is a popular location for tourists during the peak holiday periods, with the population and road users increasing significantly during these times. 

Within the next 20 years, the average daily traffic volume on the Bass Highway between Anderson and Inverloch is expected to exceed 19,000 and congestion will become a critical issue along the highway.

Improvements from west of Kilcunda Ridge Road to Ridgeway Road were identified as a priority by the community during an extensive engagement process undertaken in late 2017 and early 2018 to identify road improvement opportunities along the Bass Highway between Anderson and Leongatha.

Key issues identified include:

• A lack of crossing opportunities along the Bass Highway, increasing the safety risk for vulnerable road users.
• The service lane and associated parking facilities present a hazard to highway traffic.

Based on this feedback and our own investigations, we presented a preliminary concept design to the community in July 2019. After receiving further community feedback, we made changes to the concept design, increasing the number of car parks available.

Get in touch

Email: [email protected]