Latest News
Monash Freeway frighteners
James Dowling
22Jul08
Part of the freeway works area. Picture: Mark Wilson
A LINE of bollards is all that protects road workers from idiot motorists speeding 50-60km/h over the speed limit on the Monash Freeway, police say.
The Monash Alliance is building an extra lane along nearly 75km of the Monash Freeway until late 2010.
Intensive roadworks are under way between Glenferrie Rd and the Domain tunnel. Road workers are about 1m from passing traffic in many freeway sections.
An 80km/h speed limit applies from the West Gate Bridge to Dandenong. It is lowered to 40-60km/h when work is done on the actual freeway at night.
Region 1 Traffic Insp Greg Parr said police would regularly patrol the freeway while it was being built. "My concern is, if we don't, a workman would be seriously injured or killed," Insp Parr said.
"All that is protecting them from idiot motorists is a line of bollards."
He said police were impounding two to three cars on the freeway weekly.
Vehicles are impounded if they exceed the speed limit by 45km/h.
Insp Parr said he was shocked when police impounded seven hoons' cars and nabbed a further 23 speedsters, all in one July night.
"We are booking people who are 50km/h or 60km/h above the speed limit," Insp Parr said.
"It is a collision waiting to happen and when it happens it is going to be serious."
SouthernLink site manager Graeme Olver said it was one of the tightest construction sites he had worked on and work was taking place very close to the safety barriers.
He said even though drivers could not see his workers, they were there.
Mr Olver said the safety bollards were sturdy but unlikely to stop a speeding truck.
A road worker, who asked not to be named, said working on the site was "hairy", especially when trucks sped down the on-ramp metres from where he worked.
We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Please provide your full name. We also require a working email address - not for publication, but for verification. The location field is optional. Read our publication guidelines.
