
Bass Highway, Kilcunda safety and access improvements
We have improved traffic flow, safety and accessibility within the Kilcunda township.
Complete
Update - December 2024
The safety and accessibility upgrades on the Bass Highway at Kilcunda are now complete.
We thank road users and the local community for their patience while works were underway.
Details
The upgrades 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 (including two accessible 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.
- Landscaping of the site and planting of native trees along the rail trail to provide shade as well as habitat for local fauna (to be completed in autumn 2025).
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.
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
For more information about this project, please get in touch:
- email: [email protected]
- call: 133 778
- write:
Department of Transport and Planning
PO Box 158
Traralgon 3844
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