“The announcement by the Andrews government that they will proceed with the Western Distributor takes a positive step toward infrastructure investment in Victoria,” Master Builders Association of Victoria CEO Radley de Silva said.

“The commitment to build this urgently needed piece of infrastructure comes at a critical time as Victoria strains to prepare projects for shovel-readiness,” Mr de Silva said. “The project delivers significant benefit to Victorians, provides a much-needed contribution to engineering construction works in the state and helps stimulate the construction sector.

“Today’s announcement may spell a win for our sector. It may secure 5,600 jobs throughout its construction and deliver an $11 billion boost to the state economy.”

“There is a long way to go to finalise the funding arrangements and final scope and design, but we are encouraged by the government’s progress on taking the Western Distributor beyond the conceptual stage,” he said.

“Master Builders urges all parties and the community to focus on reaching agreement on outstanding issues, to ensure the construction can begin within expected timeframes.

“We are also pleased these works include upgrades to the Monash Freeway, with construction commencing in 2016.

“Victoria is the fastest-growing state and Melbourne’s population could reach 8 million by 2050,” Mr de Silva said. “The Western Distributor is central to accommodating the fast growth of our region and planning for the future needs of the region.”