mportant progress has been reached on the Ocean Drive Duplication Project, with the re-opening of Emerald Drive and two pedestrian underpasses due to occur.
With work nearing completion at the Emerald and Ocean Drive intersection to prepare it for an extra two lanes and traffic lights, our contracted partners Ditchfield will progress to the next phase of works on the Matthew Flinders Drive side.
As was the case with Emerald Drive, excavation to lower the road at Matthew Flinders Drive to prepare it for the additional southbound lanes and lights will result in the closure of this intersection at Ocean Drive.
Emerald Drive will operate as a temporary T-intersection, with traffic able to turn in and out in all directions. Access to Lighthouse Plaza shops and Tacking Point Tavern will be re-instated, and the temporary southbound right hand turn off Ocean Drive will be removed.
During these works, motorists who usually access Ocean Drive from Matthew Flinders Drive will need to choose an alternate route.
A shuttle bus service will be in place to connect the 322 bus route between Matthew Flinders Drive, Emerald Drive, the Plaza, and Tavern during construction hours. Please check Busways timetables for details.
Director Community Infrastructure, Rob Fish, said while the project is progressing with good momentum, there will be some competing traffic changes in the weeks ahead.
“As the contractor moves into the next phase of work at Matthew Flinders Drive, preliminary work is also taking place in preparation for the Crestwood Drive and Dahlsford Drive intersection upgrade,” he said.
“No road closures will occur at this intersection at this time. Moving forward, we will keep residents informed about access as we get closer to upgrading this intersection.”
We will re-open both pedestrian underpasses as part of this stage of work. There is still some work to do around these areas, but we will manage access to ensure we keep these important connections open.
The new footpath along Ocean Drive will open from Emerald Drive to Greenmeadows Drive south (except for a section between Crestwood Drive and Yaluma Drive). There will be no pedestrian access to Crestwood Drive at the Ocean Drive intersection – pedestrians should use the new, temporary pedestrian access at Yaluma Drive.
Temporary bus stops will be in place close to usual stops. Please view the November Community Notification on our project webpage for a map showing pedestrian routes and bus stops.
Mr Fish said the patience of our community during these works has been valuable in Ditchfield’s efforts to reach this point.
“The project team, including Council, Ditchfield Contracting and Transport for NSW, are incredibly thankful to the community’s patience to date and we remain on track to complete the project by the end of 2025.”
