Image of an aerial view of the Alchetser Village intersection upgrade

Projects

Alchester Village Intersection Upgrade

We are upgrading the Mountain Highway, Colchester Road and Albert Avenue intersection in Boronia to a signalised intersection with additional lanes and safer crossings for pedestrian and cyclists.

Project status:

Underway

Project Update – May 2025

Works are progressing well on the Alchester Village intersection upgrade.

From Monday 12 to Sunday 18 May 2025, we will be completing centre median works on Mountain Highway, installing street lighting infrastructure across the site, and permanently reinstating eastbound and westbound traffic to the correct side of the centre median.

We’ll also be reinstating the permanent right turn onto Mountain Highway from Colchester Road and Albert Avenue.

From the evening of Sunday 18 May 2025 we will move to the final stage of construction - on Albert Avenue.

To complete these works, we will need to close a section of Albert Avenue for up to two weeks, between the intersection and 177 Albert Avenue.

When to expect us

From 9pm Sunday 18 May 2025, our crews will change traffic management arrangements around the work site to close Albert Avenue between the intersection and 177 Albert Avenue for up to two weeks.

We’ll be working during the day, and intermittent night shifts if required, to complete these works as quickly and efficiently as possible to minimise impacts to businesses, residents and road users.

What to expect

Road users and residents should be aware of the changed traffic arrangements in and around the intersection from 9pm Sunday 11 May 2025, including:

Eastbound and westbound traffic movements on Mountain Highway will be reinstated to their correct side of the centre median.
Reinstatement of turning movements: The right turn from Colchester Road and Albert Avenue onto Mountain Highway will be reinstated. Access from Mountain Highway to Landscape Drive will also be reinstated.
Shop access: The right and left turn into the Alchester Village from Mountain Highway will be reinstated for this stage of works. Please note changed traffic arrangements for entry and exit.
Lane closures: There will be occasional lane closures and shuttle flow on Mountain Highway to manage traffic volumes.

From 9pm Sunday 18 May 2025, the following traffic arrangement will be in place:

Albert Avenue will be closed from 177 Albert Avenue to the Mountain Highway intersection to both directions of traffic. Detour via Miller Road and Mountain Highway.
Shop access: Alchester Village shops remain open as usual. Shoppers approaching from the south can still access the village from Albert Avenue via Lockwoods Road, Pope Avenue and Alchester Crescent. The right and left turn into the shops from Mountain Highway from the north will be reinstated for this stage of works. Please note changed traffic arrangements for entry and exit.
Resident access: Access to properties and businesses on Albert Avenue between Miller Road and Mountain Highway will be maintained under a local traffic arrangement. We will be in touch with these properties before works begin to discuss access requirements.
Boronia Heights Primary School access: Access to the primary school will remain available via Lockwoods Road if travelling from south of the school, and Landscape Drive if travelling from the north.
Lane closures: There will be occasional lane closures and shuttle flow on Mountain Highway to manage traffic volumes.
Noise: There will be medium-to-high noise levels from profiling and surface works.

Please see project map below for further information about the upcoming changes.

Image showing the detour map during the Alchester Village intersection upgrade

Download a version of the map

Public transport

Buses that use Albert Avenue as part of the route will be escorted through the closure.

For the latest public transport information, please check the PTV website and look out for signs at bus stops.

What we’ve done so far

Image of street view of the works at the Alchetster Village intersection upgrade

We’re taking a staged approach to deliver these major works efficiently and safely, while minimising disruption to the community.

Between June 2024 and April 2025 we successfully achieved the following major milestones:

Service relocations: Substantial service relocations, including power, telecommunications, water and sewerage, have now concluded.

Roundabout: During August 2024 we removed the old roundabout and installed a temporary traffic arrangement to keep the intersection operating during construction.

Colchester Road: In late September/early October our crews worked on Colchester Road to replace the road foundations and lay a new road surface. We also installed a temporary roundabout and linemarking at the intersection.

Interim traffic lights: During February and March we completely removed the temporary roundabout from the intersection and installed interim traffic signals. This formally marked the transition from a roundabout to a signalised intersection.

Drainage: We have completed substantial drainage works on the northern and southern sides of Mountain Highway, to the east and west of the intersection.

Mountain Hwy: Surfacing works, new kerb and median installations and linemarking has been completed on Mountain Highway on both sides of the intersection.

Why drainage matters
Drainage is a fundamental part of road construction. Drainage infrastructure transports water away from the surface and structure of a road to help keep the surface dry. This protects the road from erosion and prevents slippery or unsafe driving conditions. Drainage also helps to prevent runoff into surrounding properties.

Support for local businesses

While we complete this important upgrade, the Alchester Village shopping precinct remains open for business as usual, with access maintained at all times for traders, suppliers and customers.

In October and November 2024 we ran a digital and social media campaign featuring some familiar faces from the village to reinforce to the community that ‘Alchester Village is open for business’.

To further encourage the community to support the Alchester Village businesses, we recently delivered $10 shopping vouchers to 1800 letterboxes around the intersection. These are valid for redemption until the end of May 2025.

We encourage the community to continue to shop locally during works and support local businesses during this important upgrade.

Environmental care

We have worked closely with designers, independent environmental specialists and Knox City Council to retain as many existing trees as possible, balancing this with the need to improve the intersection.

We are partnering with Knox City Council on a comprehensive landscaping program once construction is complete, planting around 90 new trees and 300 shrubs and groundcovers as part of this program.

Project background

This project is part of the Victorian Government’s $117 million Local Road and Intersection Upgrade program, announced in the 2020/21 Budget. The program is targeting suburban roads across Melbourne, reducing bottlenecks for drivers and improving safety for all road users.

The intersection of Mountain Highway, Colchester Road and Albert Avenue is a single lane roundabout from all approaches with left turn slip lanes provided on the north-west and south-east quadrants of the intersection.

Concerns were raised by the community regarding safety at the intersection and difficulties crossing at all legs of the roundabout, particularly during peak periods.

Based on the crash history for the five-year period ending June 2020, there were a total of four crashes at the intersection, including one crash at the Alchester Crescent and Albert Avenue intersection. The crashes involved:

The right turn movement at Alchester Crescent, resulting in other injury
Three cross traffic movements, all resulting in other injury.

To address these issues, the Victorian Government has committed funding to replace the existing roundabout with a signalised intersection with additional lanes and new pedestrian crossings.