Chandler Highway

Chandler Highway
Length	1.4 km (1 mi)
Direction	North-South
From	Heidelberg Road, Alphington, Melbourne
To	Princess Street, Kew, Melbourne
Major junctions	Eastern Freeway for full list see major intersections

Chandler Highway is a short road in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It runs from Heidelberg Road in Alphington, across the Yarra River, using a narrow two-lane bridge over 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 its claim as "the shortest highway in the world".^[1]

History

The Yarra River bridge was originally completed in 1891 as part of the Outer Circle railway line, that ran from Fairfield station to East Camberwell station, and then south along the Alamein line to Oakleigh.^[2] The section of railway occupied by the highway closed in 1893, the rail remaining on it until at least 1919,^[3] with the viaduct was widened in the 1950s. Despite the closure of the Outer Circle, from 1919 the Heidelberg Road - Chandler Highway intersection in Fairfield had a single railway line running though the middle of it, servicing the Australian Paper Manufacturers factory railway siding until it was removed in the mid 1990s.^[3]

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 Kew, and although the route is still listed as a 'proposed arterial' in recent editions of the Melway street directory, the reserve has been landscaped. At the diamond interchange with the Eastern Freeway, there are visible pavements reserved for smooth (elevated) entry/ exit ramps to be constructed. These proposals are illustrated in the early eighties editions of the Melway directory, but are unlikely be built.

Some or all of Chandler Highway was renamed from Fulham Road.^[4][5]

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.

Congestion

The highway is badly congested with traffic as the four lane highway is funnelled into two lanes at the Yarra River crossing. The RACV/Leader bi-annual Redspot survey has the highway in second place in 2010, up from twelfth in 2002. It's a repeat offender.^[6]

In October 2010 VicRoads released four proposed options for improving the Yarra River crossing with a new bridge:^[7]

• 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 would like to see this bridge full integrated into the shared path network via the Yarra Trail and the Anniversary Trail with an extension of the Annversary Trail to Fairfield railway station.^[8]

Major intersections

Chandler Highway
Northbound	Distance from Freeway (km)	Southbound
End Chandler Highway continues as Grange Road to Reservoir	1.1	Start Chandler Highway from Grange Road
To ; Heidelberg, Greensborough Heidelberg Road
Clifton Hill, Melbourne Heidelberg Road
YARRA RIVER	0.6	YARRA RIVER
Yarra Boulevard	0.4	Yarra Boulevard
Melbourne, Ringwood Eastern Freeway _	0.0	Frankston, Ringwood, Melbourne Eastern Freeway _
Start Chandler Highway from Princess Street & Earl Street	0.3	Kew, Burnley Princess Street
		End Chandler Highway continues as Earl Street to Balwyn

References

1. ^ Only Melbourne.com
2. ^ David Beardsell and Bruce Herbert (1979). The Outer Circle: A history of the Oakleigh to Fairfield Park Railway. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). ISBN 0 85849 024 2. 
3. ^ ^{a b} S Cauchi (November 1994). "Closure of the Australian Paper Ltd siding at Fairfield". Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 328–331. 
4. ^ According to http://dhe.darebin-libraries.vic.gov.au/encyclopedia.asp?id=137 it was renamed in 1994. The 1966 Melway appears to contradict this: [1]
5. ^ Chandler Highway and Bridge Act 1954
6. ^ Redspot survey 2010
7. ^ Northcote Leader: Hopes for Chandler Highway bridge fix
8. ^ Boroondara BUG - Chandler Hwy Environs