A planned bypass in Melbourne's southeast is set to become a four-lane freeway under a $75 million cash injection in the upcoming state budget.

The Victorian government has already set aside $300 million for the planned Mordialloc Bypass, but the extra funds it announced on Monday will upgrade the bypass into a four-lane freeway.

The government says the $375 million project will create more than 400 jobs and slash 10 minutes from a trip between the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and Dingley Bypass.

Premier Daniel Andrews said traffic lights will be scrapped to ease congestion and drivers will have an alternative to using local roads.

“This is all about getting people home faster and getting people home safer,” Mr Andrews told reporters on Monday.

“Governments 30, 40 years ago reserved this land, but it’s our government that’s getting on and delivering this.”

Construction will start in 2019 and the freeway, which will be toll-free, will be completed in 2021.

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said he welcomed the government’s move to get rid of three sets of traffic lights as part of the project.

If elected, he said the Liberal-National coalition would scrap 55 traffic lights from congested intersections across Melbourne and Geelong.

“We’ve got to get our arterial network to flow better, that’s why the coalition want to invest $5 billion to do exactly that,” he told reporters on Monday.

 

By Melissa Iaria