Construction on the final stage of the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade is on track to begin by the end of the year, marking the next step in the transformation of one of Geelong’s busiest and most important growth corridors.
Stage 2b will upgrade a further two kilometres of Barwon Heads Road between Lake Road in Armstrong Creek and Lower Duneed Road in Connewarre.
It builds on improvements delivered through Stage 1 and those now taking shape as part of Stage 2a.
The project will add an extra lane in each direction, upgrade the Buchanan Boulevard roundabout to accommodate two lanes in each direction along Barwon Heads Road, and install a new signalised pedestrian crossing north of Buchanan Boulevard.
A new shared walking and cycling path will also connect with the existing path network.
When complete in late 2028, Stage 2b is expected to improve travel reliability, safety, traffic flow and access to public transport.
Barwon Heads Road is a critical north-south connection linking Geelong with the Bellarine and the rapidly growing Armstrong Creek area, which is regional Victoria’s largest urban growth area.
As new communities develop, so does demand on the roads connecting them with jobs, schools, services and surrounding suburbs.
Construction is well underway on Stage 2a between Reserve Road in Charlemont and Lake Road in Armstrong Creek, with the project past the halfway mark.
Barwon Heads Road Upgrade senior project manager Andrew Westcott said the works were building on what had already been delivered.
“With Stage 2a well underway and Stage 2b on track to start later this year, we’re continuing to build on the improvements already delivered along Barwon Heads Road,” said Westcott.
“This will create a safer, more reliable corridor that can support this growing region into the future.”
Since major construction began, crews have progressively built new lanes and upgraded intersections, drainage and lighting while keeping traffic moving.
The team recently reopened Boundary Road following major intersection works and the construction of new lanes, and traffic has moved onto newly built sections of road, including across the widened Armstrong Creek bridge.
When Stage 2a is completed in late 2027, motorists will benefit from additional lanes between Reserve and Lake roads, upgraded intersections at Warralily Boulevard, Central Boulevard and Precinct Road, and new traffic lights at Newport Drive and Boundary Road.
New pedestrian crossings, shared paths and dedicated on-road cycling lanes will provide safer connections.
Once construction is finished, 8.5km of shared path will run along Barwon Heads Road, linking to the Waurn Ponds Creek Trail, Marshall Station and the Armstrong Creek Trail.
The path is named Karndoor, the Wadawurrung word for track, and includes etchings of native bird footprints.
The current works follow the delivery of Stage 1, the first four kilometres of the upgrade between Settlement Road in Belmont and Reserve Road in Charlemont.
Completed in 2023, it delivered two lanes in each direction, upgraded intersections and major improvements for walking and cycling.
It also removed the level crossing at Marshall with a new road bridge and added a new bridge across Waurn Ponds Creek. The project opened six months ahead of schedule and under budget.
The rail overpass, named Narriyu, meaning “top of the hill” in Wadawurrung language, was designed around the soft ground of the surrounding floodplain.
Its three-span steel structure reduced the bridge’s height and the extent of retaining walls required, allowing much of it to be built away from the existing road.
Crews also used 4D modelling to plan the installation of steel beams and the deck, identifying potential clashes before work began on site.
Wadawurrung artists collaborated on the design, which includes boomerang-inspired patterns in the jarosite-coloured retaining walls and images of flying swans on the screens.
The upgrade is part of Big Build Roads, which has 66 projects across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
So far, 41 are complete, 11 are under construction, and 14 are in planning.
