SE Carpark/Citylink Roadworks

Any one here use the SE Freeway and Citylink on a regular basis?

I haven't used it for about 6 months when I last went out to Tulla but I'll be using it next month and was wondering if all the hype in the media about it being a nightmare and dangerous is really true.

I know the roadworks are always an issue on the eastern side of town (and don't get me started on paying a fee to use a freeway with a 60kph speed limit) but are all the new lanes or changes to lanes as confusing as the news services report?

I'll was planning to go along the carpark, through the tunnels, over the Bolte and out onto the Calder, but if it really is as bad as the media says I'll cut my loses and go out the back and over the hill to Shepparton.

6am, from berwick to taylors lakes early mon-fri, no problem at all. Other peak hour times are as expected, most of the lane changes are finished, just follow the signs as you leave the tunnel. Keep to the left after you exit the tunnel the bolte lane is about 2k's from the tunnel

Thanks.
With a bit of luck I'll be hitting the carpark before peak hour just to avoid traffic at the start (or near to the start) of a long day of driving. I haven't heard any progress reports lately but it seems like once again the media has done the usual thing and found only those who want to complain to tell stories of how bad it is.

Went through them 2 days ago Krafty with no real dramas. held up for 5 mins maximum. Where are you headed?

The final destination is Perth but the end of day one destination is Renmark. Figure I'll probably leave home about 5am which gets me to the carpark before the majority of peak hour then it's plain sailing north for the rest of the day

I lived in Sydney for 15 years, traveling into the city daily. Everywhere feels like an autobahn compared to that place.

I lived in Syd for 2 years and agree totally.

The one thing that has always got me though is that most other states reckon it's always raining in Victoria yet for a state that has so much rain why are our hoons so bloody hopeless at driving in the rain. There is idiots in every state but driving in the rain in Melbourne scares me.

Rain! did someone say rain!

There's no rain in VIC,

wots u talkin bout willis!

Have'nt seen rain in vic since the early 90's.

It only rains (floods) up north.





...no-one here knows how to drive the wet cause its never wet.

Yeah i agree, what rain?
My grass is dead
My car is dirty
My concrete is dusty
And my plaster is cracking from dry ground.

BUT my olds farm gets a sh*tload of rain there near daylesford, but 2km from there farm the roads will be bone dry.

Well I have done the 'SE carpark' over the past four days and it was not fun! I am pleased I live in quiet little Adelaide.

Authorities decided to seal the Monash FWY in both directions near the East Link tollway over the weekend. The traffic to and from the Masters ensured that we all paid good money to drive at idle speed.

10 years ago when I was in Sydney Global Warming wasn't talked about so most Sydneysiders could only complain that Melb had wet weather. I don't know what they complain about now.

You guys in central and northern Vic might not have seen rain for a while but only about 4 weeks ago our area came close to flooding. Nothing like Northern NSW but we still had water everywhere and it's not the first time this year. This is why our wonderful state government keep coming up with plans to steal our water and send it too Melbourne.

As for paying for a road and sitting at idle speed Bosshog now you know why us country dwellers are happy to not commute to the city every day

I work in the city and it absolutely sucks. But i live in the west so im lucky that i dont have any freeways or should i say tollways in my side of town.
But there are the times when work requires me to go through the tunnel and take citylink and i never will understand why we have to pay for slow roadworks.
It should be if its not at its posted limit of 100 or 80km/h it should be free of charge.

It should be free all the bloody time thats why we pay rego, taxes etc. Just because the government wants to hand out a lucrative construction contract to some company who see it as a gold mine for the rest of existence I don't think it's worth paying for.

Back when I lived in SE suburbs and traveled to Epping nearly daily I always used Springy road, even to go to the airport because I refused to pay a fee to drive my car on a road when their was free alternatives. Now days the only reason I use the SE carpark or the Eastern is because I don't pay for the etag thats in the glove box. (Just as well too cause the Nav costs more than a standard car and for some reason more than a Crewman ute)

We're going to be travelling in this rough direction at Christmas, coming up through Cranbourne/Dandenong along the South Gippsland Hwy and turning onto Princes Hwy (Lonsdale St?) and then via Queens Rd and Kings Way onto the West Gate Freeway.

Are these the places we're talking about? Am I likely to have any issues there?

Not really.
Princes Highway is Dandenong Road that goes all the way into the city from the suburbs.
Princes Freeway is the SE Carpark
South Gippy Freeway originally went all the way to Dandy Rd but now days you can get off it a few ks short of the end and join the SE Carpark.

I believe you'll find the Lonsdale Street you mention is in fact Dandy road either side of Dandenong (it's one of those long roads with several name changes depending on the suburb) which means you'll be traveling the South Gippy past the big Tip Top factory and to an intersection just over the train line which you will turn left.

Dandy road is the original main road into the city and travels all the way into Kings way or thereabouts (maybe Queens Pde).

From Kings way there is a number of ways to the West gate but if your relying on your GPS and doing it without stopping chances are it will send you around the SE Carpark (the Princess Freeway) anyway.

Peak hour can be a killer for stop start because of all the traffic lights but one accident on the SE Carpark and Dandy Rd looks like a dream run. There is always road works somewhere but when i used to drive from Dandy to the city I'd never use the carpark I'd rather stop at the lights and not pay to stop at roadworks. With a van on the back and possible warm weather if you're not looking at stopping anywhere I'd probably pay the price and use the freeway.

At the moment, we are planning to make this part of the trip in the early afternoon of 28 Dec, so hopefully all the peak hour rush will be well and truly gone. I'll have to try and figure out on Google Earth which one the freeway is. Is the "free"way e-tag only, or can I pay at a toll gate?

We dont have toll gates, it's etag or day pass only, but you have 28 days to pay I believe so if you aren't planing to use the freeway but then change your mind you can use it jsut make sure you ring Citylink or get online within 28 days.

Dec 28 the traffic wont be too bad. Even so if you've driven through Sydney traffic Melbourne traffic wont be a huge issue, be different if you were trying to compare Melb traffic to somewhere like Perth or Adelaide. Some, if not the majority of places might still be calling the 28th a public holiday since Christmas/boxing day is Fri/Sat this year so there could be very little traffic compared to usual peak hour which in the arvo probably starts around 3ish.

One thing to be aware of if using Dandy Rd (Princes Hwy) is areas like Chadstone and Dandy itself. the shopping precincts are ludicrous at the best of times but add to this 1000's of people rushing down the shops for the post chrissie sales and I'd prefer to be stuck in peak hour traffic.

Haha ... and given the tunnel-vision created by said sales, they're not likely to pay a lot of attention to 4 tonnes and 13.5 metres of holidaying Novocastrians with little clue about the local area.

We intended to lunch at Dandenong, but I'm thinking an earlier start - we intended to stop for the night before at Tarra River Rest Area - and a quick approach with a careful navigation through might be in order.

We need to get to Altona Meadows - the West Gate Freeway seems the best way over, but I'm happy to drive a little further if it means there's fewer possible problems.

If you have little clue about the area then chances are you'll be like 90% of the other drivers on the roads, just cause they live near by doesn't mean they know more than you. Chances are they will be cursing you and beeping their horns because you'll be slowing them down from spending money.

If I was going to be home that week I'd get you to wave as you stop at Tarra River Rest Area my place is NW of there although there is a big hill between us and Yarram. There's a lot to sightsee along there, if you're that kind of person you could easily spend a couple of days along the South Gippy Highway.

As much as I hate the SE carpark I think if I was you I'd get off the South Gippy and the Western Port/South Gippy Freeway interchange and follow the M1 signs. It's only a few ks from there the South Gippy becomes the SE carpark and then its no traffic lights all the way to the West Gate. Then follow the West gate to the Princes Hwy again and Altona is on the left.

Given the day you are traveling I'd reckon the SE will be fairly easy, some of the roadworks might not even be happening (although the speed limits will) in that week. I don't know what it would cost to take a Nav and van across but I reckon you'd have a much better run than using Dandy Rd at that time of year.

The Post Office in Yarram will also sell you a day pass for Citylink if you need it. And the Pizza shop on the southern end of town is owned by a mate of mine.

If you take the freeway leading up to westgate then that is best for going to altona, just be careful looking up on google earth as there have been many changes in the last couple of months with on ramps and off ramps and a lot of daily motorists were confused themselves. I dont think these changes will show up on google earth, and be careful with speed cameras, they love hiding em here, especially under overpasses and overhead street signs, also careful on the red light cameras too, there bloody everywhere.