Chandler Highway is a short road in the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It runs from Heidelberg Road in Alphington

Alphington, Victoria

Alphington is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Darebin and Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Alphington had a population of 4,483...

, across the Yarra River

Yarra River

The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...

, using a narrow two-lane bridge over the Yarra River

Yarra River

The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...

, 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".

History

The Yarra River bridge was originally completed in 1891 as part of the Outer Circle railway line, that ran from Fairfield station

Fairfield railway station, Melbourne

Fairfield is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Fairfield, on the Hurstbridge railway line. Fairfield is classed as a Host Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...

 to East Camberwell station, and then south along the Alamein line to Oakleigh. The section of railway occupied by the highway closed in 1893, the rail remaining on it until at least 1919, 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.

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

Melway

Melway is an almost ubiquitous street directory for Melbourne, Australia and its immediate surrounds, including the city of Geelong. It is currently in its 39th edition—the 2012 edition—which was released in July 2011.-History:Melway was conceived by Merv Godfrey and Iven Mackay in the 1950s...

 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.

The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan

1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan

The 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan was a road and rail transport plan for Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia instituted by Henry Bolte's state government...

 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.

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 would like to see this bridge full integrated into the shared path network via the Yarra Trail
  Main Yarra Trail
  The Yarra Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the Yarra River through the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
  
   and the Anniversary Trail
  Outer Circle Trail
  The Outer Circle Trail, also known as the Anniversary Trail, Anniversary Outer Circle Trail, or even the Outer Circle Anniversary Trail, is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which partly follows the Alamein Line through the inner eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.The...
  
   with an extension of the Annversary Trail to Fairfield railway station
  Fairfield railway station, Melbourne
  Fairfield is a railway station in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in the suburb of Fairfield, on the Hurstbridge railway line. Fairfield is classed as a Host Station and is in Metcard Zone 1.-Facilities:...
  
  .

Major intersections

Chandler Highway
Northbound	Distance from Freeway (km)	Southbound
End Chandler Highway continues as Grange Road to Reservoir Reservoir, Victoria Reservoir is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Reservoir had a population of 45,970....	1.1	Start Chandler Highway from Grange Road
To M80 Ring Road, Melbourne The M80 Ring Road, more formally known as the Western Ring Road or Metropolitan Ring Road, is a freeway in Melbourne, Australia connecting the northern suburbs and the western suburbs to various freeways:* the Hume Freeway;...  ; Heidelberg Heidelberg, Victoria Heidelberg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule.... , Greensborough Greensborough, Victoria Greensborough is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Greensborough had a population of 20,214....   Heidelberg Road
Clifton Hill Clifton Hill, Victoria Clifton Hill is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. The border between Clifton Hill and Fitzroy North is Queens Parade and Smith Street. Merri Creek defines the eastern border of Clifton Hill. Its Local Government Area is... , Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...   Heidelberg Road
YARRA RIVER Yarra River The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...	0.6	YARRA RIVER Yarra River The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
Yarra Boulevard Route 2, Melbourne Route 2, or the Yarra Scenic Drive is one of Melbourne's few metropolitan transport routes which is not designed as a convenient route, but a tourist drive following the Yarra River as closely as possible...	0.4	Yarra Boulevard Route 2, Melbourne Route 2, or the Yarra Scenic Drive is one of Melbourne's few metropolitan transport routes which is not designed as a convenient route, but a tourist drive following the Yarra River as closely as possible...
Melbourne, Ringwood Ringwood, Victoria Ringwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Ringwood had a population of 15,185....   Eastern Freeway	0.0	Frankston Frankston, Victoria Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula... , Ringwood Ringwood, Victoria Ringwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Ringwood had a population of 15,185.... , Melbourne  Eastern Freeway
Start Chandler Highway from Princess Street & Earl Street	0.3	Kew Kew, Victoria Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516.... , Burnley Burnley, Victoria Burnley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Burnley had a population of 708....   Princess Street
		End Chandler Highway continues as Earl Street to Balwyn Balwyn, Victoria Balwyn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...