MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s priority list for missing footpaths reveals both the scale of demand across the region and the costs of delivering pedestrian infrastructure.
The rankings are part of the Pedestrian Access Strategy 2024-2034 and assess gaps in the pedestrian network using an evaluation matrix that weighs up safety, connectivity, and community need as well as environmental and construction constraints.
The current highest ranked project is Nepean Hwy in Dromana, followed by Boundary Rd, also in Dromana. Rounding out the top three is Bruce Rd in Mount Martha. The top priorities show the strong focus on high-traffic roads and areas that currently have limited pedestrian access.
Multiple of the top-ranked projects are already in design or underway, however, the broader rollout is shaped as much by cost as by priority. Council figures show that basic footpath construction in areas with minimal obstacles and no drainage or kerbing required starts at $540 per metre for a 1.5 metre wide path.
That figure rises with width and complexity and reaches $675 per metre for a wider 2.5 metre path with similarly simple conditions. When a site requires partial drainage, retaining walls, tree removal, or kerbing, costs climb to as much as $895 per metre.
These variations mean two projects of similar length can have drastically different total costs, dependent on local conditions. Timeframes are influenced not just by priority ranking but by how far funding can stretch.
The renewed focus on the prioritisation list comes after ongoing safety concerns raised by residents, including the intersection of Nepean Hwy and Volitans Ave in Mount Eliza.
At the 14 April council meeting, the residents were informed the intersection is managed by the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, but that council is currently developing a footpath project along Nepean Hwy between Mornington Secondary College and Volitans Ave. Nepean Hwy in Mornington falls fifth in the current priority list, after Pickings Rd in Safety Beach.
With current estimation costs, the top twenty footpath priorities on the shire’s list would cost $20m if built at 2.5 metres wide.
First published in the Mornington News – 12 May 2026
