FAQ

Jumping Creek Road provides an important five kilometre link within Manningham, between Ringwood-Warrandyte Road in Warrandyte and Homestead Road in Wonga Park.

It connects the local communities of Warrandyte and Wonga Park and existing employment and retail precincts in Croydon, Chirnside Park and Lilydale. It serves as an important transport corridor between the municipalities of Manningham, Maroondah and Yarra Ranges.

This road currently carries in excess of 8,100 vehicles per day (vpd), which is expected to double to 15,000 vpd by 2035.

The road is located within an environmentally significant landscape with valuable native vegetation and fauna and is also identified as being located in a ‘high bushfire risk’ zone.

A number of safety issues have been identified with Jumping Creek Road, which are likely to become more prevalent with current traffic volumes forecasted to double within the next 15-20 years. Manningham Council is committed to safety and will be investing in an upgrade to ensure the road meets a minimum standard, complies with legislation and meets community expectations by delivering safe, sustainable, functional and site responsive infrastructure that protects and enhances the local landscape.

Between 2012 and 2016, a total of 17 reported vehicle crashes resulted in casualties along Jumping Creek Road. This included seven crashes causing serious injury requiring hospitalisation. Many of these crashes involved vehicles leaving the road and colliding with objects on the side of the road.

Given the important function of this road within the network and safety issues associated with increased road use, there is a general expectation that the road will need to be progressively upgraded into the future.

Community consultation helped to inform the Jumping Creek Road Development Framework, which is the framework for this upgrade project.

In 2017, a community reference panel was formed to provide ongoing feedback the design, development and construction of Jumping Creek Road.

The reference panel has been involved in planning for the works that are currently underway, between Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Nelson Drive, including the current road closure.

The purpose of the Development Framework is to consider options that will address the safety, environmental and functional issues identified for Jumping Creek Road and provide guidance on minimising vegetation impacts, rural amenity and road user needs.

It also contains assessments on traffic and speed counts, road classification detail, crash statistics, applicable environmental and planning requirements, general biodiversity, flora and fauna, native roadside vegetation assessments and proposed concept design plans. 

The concept design encompasses future improvements to Jumping Creek Road that will involve the following works:

• Upgrades to alignments to improve sightlines and visibility.
• Improved road gradient changes (i.e. reduced crests and dips).
• Installation of roundabouts to reduce speed along Jumping Creek Road.
• Installation of kerb and channel to replace open drains.
• Installation of safety barriers to improve road safety.
• Construction of a new mixed-use path to facilitate sustainable transport options.
• Construction of several fauna road crossings.
• Improvements to access to private driveways.
• Removal of vegetation to accommodate the works where necessary and the undertaking of associated re-vegetation as required

The works aim to improve safety and accessibility of the road for all road users. Through this project, Council also aims to upgrade road’s drainage infrastructure and minimise the ongoing impacts on the local environment

To complete the works, Jumping Creek Road will be closed to through traffic between Ringwood-Warrandyte Road and Yarra Road for the duration of the construction period.

The works will involve removing the existing road pavement in order to significantly lower part of the road to improve sightlines for road users. 

New drainage infrastructure including pits, pipes, kerb and channel will be installed. Works will also include creating retaining walls, safety barriers, a pedestrian path and landscaping works to complement the new road pavement.

The closure of Jumping Creek Road for the duration of the upgrade works is for safety reasons and due to construction requirements, which involves lowering parts of the road by more than one metre.

As part of the planning for the construction of this section of Jumping Creek Road, options for keeping the road open, partially closing the road and a full road closure were investigated through detailed risk assessments.

Given the nature of the works, which involve significant excavation and heavy plant machinery, a full road closure was determined as the safest option for all road users. Closing the road will allow the works to be completed in a shorter timeframe than if the road remained partially or fully open.

Construction commenced on 21 April 2020 and is anticipated to be completed at the end of August 2020.

Detours are in place with traffic diverted via Yarra Road and Brysons Road see the detour plan. 

To prepare for the increased traffic flows along these roads, some preliminary works were completed along the diversion route. Alternate detour routes have been investigated, however based on assessment of the likely path of motorists were assessed as not practicable.

Additional maintenance works, signage and speed control signs have been arranged and the condition of the detour routes is being closely monitored.

As part of the planning for the road detours, works were undertaken along the diversion routes to help prepare for the anticipated increased traffic volumes. The works included stabilising the road shoulders and drains along Brysons Road.

Since the works started and in response to community feedback, Council has installed additional road signage, reflective markers, vegetation maintenance to improve visibility and warnings for motorists about the 60km per hour speed limit

We are continuing to monitor the road closely and where required will work with Victoria Police for assistance in enforcing this speed limit.

Any change to the speed limit along Brysons Road would require approval from the Department of Transport. 

Preliminary advice from the Department of Transport to Council has indicated a change in speed limit along Brysons Road would not be supported.

Works along this section of road have already commenced with the relocation of existing services. 

The contractor is expected to start works in early April 2020 with the upgrade works planned for completion by the end of August 2020. 

The works will be undertaken during the following hours, as per the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.

• 7.00am to 6.00pm on weekdays
• 7.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays.

Occasional night works or works out of these hours may be required and we will inform impacted residents prior to this occurring.

Before works commenced, we consulted with the emergency services on the proposed timings and construction methods, including the road closure.

Emergency services will have unrestricted access to all properties in the construction areas.

Our appointed contractor will be present prior to storm events to mitigate the potential impacts. 

During periods of extreme heat and/or wet weather, our contractors will follow the legislative safety guidelines.

Our appointed contractor has a dedicated fauna relocation company that was on site to relocate fauna in the weeks before major earthworks and vegetation removal.

This fauna relocation specialist is on call for the duration of the construction works.

The concept design for the remainder of Jumping Creek Road is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2020 and the detail design to be complete by June 202.

The construction activities for the remaining sections of Jumping Creek Road are likely to commence later in 2021. The phasing for these works will determined towards the end of 2020.