The Chandler Highway is a short road in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It runs from Heidelberg Road in Alphington, crosses the Yarra River, then continues across the Eastern Freeway, then terminates at an intersection with Princess Street and Earl Street. Its total length is less than 2 kilometres, leading to the claim that it is "the shortest highway in the world". For a city of its size, the Chandler Highway is one of very few river crossings in Melbourne.
History
The Chandler Highway was originally planned to continue east along the former rail corridor to where Earl, Asquith and Valerie Streets intersect. The highway was to end at High Street in East Kew, and although the route is still listed as a 'proposed arterial' in recent editions of the Melwaystreet directory, the reserve has been landscaped. At the diamond interchange with the Eastern Freeway, there are visible pavements reserved for smooth entry/ exit ramps to be constructed. These proposals are illustrated in the early eighties editions of the Melway directory, but are unlikely to be built. Some or all of Chandler Highway was renamed from Fulham Road. The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan shows the Chandler Highway as part of the F6 Freeway corridor which would eventually link up to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway.
Railway bridge
Until 2019, the Yarra River crossing was over a bridge originally completed in 1891 as part of the Outer Circle railway line, that ran from Fairfield station to East Camberwell station, and then south to Oakleigh. The section of railway occupied by the highway closed in 1893, although the rail remained on it until at least 1919, and the viaduct was widened in the 1950s. After 1919, a single-track railway line ran through the middle of the Heidelberg Road-Chandler Highway intersection, with the opening of the Australian Paper Manufacturers siding, which made use of the old Outer Circle route from Fairfield station to the entrance of the company's factory. The siding was removed in the mid-1990s.
Congestion
Until the opening of the new bridge in March 2019, the highway was badly congested with traffic, since the four-lane highway needed to be funnelled into the two lanes of the old railway bridge to cross the Yarra. The bridge on the Chandler Highway regularly featured highly in the RACV/Leader bi-annual Redspot survey of Melbourne's worst points of traffic congestion, and in 2014 was named in the survey as the worst point of congestion in Melbourne.
New bridge proposals
The bridge sits on the boundary of the State Electoral Districts of Kew and Northcote. The State Member for Northcote, Fiona Richardson led a community campaign during the term of Premier John Brumby in advocating for the bridge to be duplicated. In October 2010, VicRoads released four proposed options for improving the Yarra River crossing with a new bridge:
add an additional two lane bridge on either the east or west side of the existing bridge. The existing bridge would be retained as a two lane road bridge bringing the total lanes up to four.
add an additional four lane bridge on either the east or west side of the existing bridge. The existing bridge would be used as a pedestrian/cycle bridge. Local cycle groups wanted to see this bridge full integrated into the shared path network via the Yarra Trail and the Anniversary Trail with an extension of the Anniversary Trail to Fairfield railway station.
With the Northcote electorate being one of the few battleground contests between Labor and the Greens Political Parties at the 2010 State Election, the Chandler Highway Bridge became a key election issue. The Labor Party committed to duplicating the bridge, while the Greens opposed such duplication. The seat was subsequently held by Labor, but the Party lost the state election to the Liberal National Coalition government. Plans to duplicate the bridge halted. In the intervening period the Amcor Paper Millon the corner of Heidelberg Rd and Chandler Highway, Alphington ceased operations and vacated the site in 2012 before it was sold in mid 2013. Successive State governments gave high level approval for residential development at the site subject to detailed planning, to address the likely increased traffic congestion in an already gridlocked area. On 15 June 2014 Labor Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews and Fiona Richardson announced that Labor would commit $110 million to fixing Chandler Highway with construction works to commence immediately, if Labor was elected to govern at the 2014 State Election to be held on 29 November.
Bridge duplication
Upon its election in 2014, the Labor government announced that construction would proceed on a new six-lane bridge on the western side. This met with some objections by residents, concerned about the proximity of the road to their residences, but the then Roads Minister Luke Donnellan stated that this was a more environmentally sensitive option, which allowed Guide Dogs Victoria to continue operating on their present site. Construction commenced in mid 2017. In March 2019 all six lanes were opened to traffic, with the old railway bridge converted for use by pedestrians and cyclists. The project also included the construction of a bicycle underpass under the Chandler Hwy for the Main Yarra Trail, eradicating the need for cyclists to ascend 79 steps to reach the Highway and regain the Trail on the other side.
