Australias's Labor Government has released the Request for Proposal (RFP) to deliver the AUD2.2 billion (US$1.6 billion) north and southeastern road packages, allowing bidders to submit their plans for the projects.

Short-listed parties will be required to respond to a Request for Proposal for each of the Northern Roads Upgrade and South-Eastern Roads Upgrade in mid-2019. The shortlisted consortia were announced in October 2018 and it includes Access Arterial, Connecting Melbourne and Netflow.

The Northern Roads Upgrade will fix six priority roads and improve and maintain hundreds of kilometres of arterial roads across Melbourne’s north. 

Craigieburn Road, Sunbury Road, Epping Road, Childs Road and Bridge Inn Road will be duplicated to boost capacity. Intersections will also be upgraded along Fitzsimons Lane in Eltham.

The South-Eastern Roads Upgrade will make huge improvements to capacity and boost safety on six priority roads, as well as improve and maintain hundreds of kilometres of arterial roads across the south-eastern suburbs.

Extra lanes will be added at Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road, Lathams Road, Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road and Pound Road West, to slash congestion and improve safety. Hallam North Road and Golf Links Road will also be upgraded.

Meanwhile work is well underway on the AUD1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade, the first part of the Suburban Roads Upgrade, with all eight major road upgrades now under construction from Altona North to Tarneit. 

The Suburban Roads Upgrade marks the Labor Government’s biggest ever investment in arterial roads, with AUD4 billion to be spent on upgrades in Melbourne’s outer suburbs. Construction on the northern and south eastern road upgrades is expected to start from 2020 and is due to be completed at the end of 2025.