Duplication of Somerton Road

State electorate: Greenvale
Federal electorate: Calwell

The Hume community needs duplication of Somerton Road between Roxburgh Park Drive and Mickleham Road, to deliver a safer, higher‑capacity east–west arterial.

Why is it important to the community?

Somerton Road is a critical east–west connector that links major residential areas with employment precincts, shopping centres, schools and transport hubs.

It matters to the community because:

• The suburbs surrounding Somerton Road are experiencing strong population growth, putting additional pressure on the already‑constrained corridor.

• More than 70% of nearby residents travel to work by car, making this road essential foraccessing jobs, education and key services.

• Heavy congestion creates delays that impact daily life, reduce business productivity, and increase travel times for families already balancing long commutes.

• Duplication will improve traffic flow, road safety and network resilience, ensuring the road can support future development, new housing and expanding employment areas.

• Investing in the corridor now will prevent congestion from worsening as the Northern Growth Corridor continues to grow.

• Improving Somerton Road will strengthen access to key freight, logistics and industrial precincts, supporting local jobs and ensuring Hume remains a competitive economic hub for Melbourne’s north.

What is the current status?

Somerton Road is currently only duplicated between the Hume Highway and Roxburgh Park Drive. West of that point, the road narrows to a single carriageway, despite carrying approximately 25,000 vehicles per day – an increase of 32% since 2018. This creates daily bottlenecks, long traffic queues and significant road‑safety concerns on an undivided arterial that was not designed for the volume of traffic now using it.

Key issues include:

• Rapid residential growth in Greenvale, Craigieburn and surrounding suburbs has placed increasing pressure on this corridor.

• High car dependency, particularly in areas with limited public transport, means Somerton Road now carries far more vehicles than it was designed to handle.

• Congestion is worsened by increasing reliance on Aitken Boulevard, which serves as a parallel road link; this dispersal of traffic increases delays across the broader network.

• Without duplication, reliability and safety will continue to deteriorate as the region grows.

• There is currently no committed funding or timeline for duplicating the remaining unduplicated section, leaving residents and businesses exposed to ongoing congestion and safety risks as traffic volumes continue to grow.

Our community says

Hamza (Roxburgh Park driver)

“Somerton Road feels like a conveyor belt of stopped cars. The merge near Mickleham Road is the worst – everyone just gets stuck.”

Janelle (Parent doing school pickups)

“Getting from Roxburgh Park Drive onto Somerton Road in the afternoon takes ages. The lights barely let anyone through, so the queue just keeps building.”

Corey (Delivery driver)

“If you hit Somerton Road after 4pm, expect delays. One long row of traffic stretching from Mickleham all the way back to the estates."