By Mitchell Clarke
The parents of two young boys who survived a horror crash at a notorious Beaconsfield intersection have welcomed the start of a mammoth $36 million highway upgrade.
Parents Shayne and Sonia were loud in their calls for a permanent fix to the dangerous O’Neil Road and Princes Highway intersection, after their sons miraculously walked away from a smash relatively uninjured.
William and Benson were in the car with their nanny on the way to swimming lessons when they were T-boned by a Ute and a trailer, as they attempted to cross the intersection in January 2019.
“It would have been three tonne of weight that hit them at 70km/h. I don’t know how they lived,” father Shayne explained.
That horrific accident led to Shayne and Sonia pleading with State and Federal MPs Brad Battin and Jason Wood to take action.
“I called Brad that night because I was just beside myself and I went to Jason on the Monday morning and said something needed to be done,” Sonia added.
“We always said this was a horrible road so this has been a long time coming.”
Almost two years since the accident, both Shayne and Sonia were thrilled to hear their pleas had finally been answered, with works officially commencing.
The intersection will be upgraded to become a fully signalised t-intersection. It’ll feature dual right-turn lanes, bus lanes on the Princes Highway and a dedicated cyclist signalisation.
The O’Neil Road intersection is the first of eight intersections to be upgraded along the Princes Highway over the next three years.
The mammoth project received $17.8 million from the Federal Government’s Urban Congestion Fund and $18.3 million as part of Cardinia Shire Council’s Better Local Roads program.
State Liberal Gembrook MP Brad Battin began calling for traffic signals to be implemented at the site since 2015.
“Over the years over 1000 residents signed my petition calling to fund this much-needed intersection,” he said.
“It is disappointing that for so many years the Labor State Government ignored the accidents causing serious injury and put lives at risk.”
Federal La Trobe MP Jason Wood said the project would allow local roads to cope with expected future growth in Beaconsfield, Officer and Pakenham.
“The Princes Highway between Pakenham and Beaconsfield is a highly congested corridor serving a high population growth area. As a result, there are exceptional road congestion and safety issues.
“These intersection upgrades are expected to reduce congestion and improve travel time reliability along this corridor. They will also improve network connectivity, access and safety for all road users.”
Beacon Hills Ward councillor Brett Owen said this upgrade would be “very important” for Beaconsfield residents.
“This is a very dangerous intersection and has a long history of accidents and close calls,” he said.
“It’s a really large project and I’m very pleased that this upgrade is finally underway. It’s going to be really beneficial, particularly for school students at St Francis Xavier College, or those heading towards the railway station from Officer.”
The intersections that will be upgraded along the Princes Highway are:
• Beaconsfield Avenue/Glismann Road, Beaconsfield.
• O’Neil Road, Beaconsfield.
• Brunt Road/Whiteside Road, Beaconsfield.
• Bayview Road, Officer.
• Tivendale Road/Station Street, Officer.
• McMullen Road, Officer.
• Arena Parade, Officer.
• Thewlis Road, Pakenham.
Works at O’Neil Road are expected to be completed by May 2021.
