Warburton Highway commences at the intersection with Maroondah Highway on the eastern edges of Lilydale and heads in an easterly direction as a two-lane, single carriageway road through Seville, Woori Yallock, Launching Victoria and eventually to the town of Warburton. It has been completely sealed since 1941, with one lane in each direction and occasional overtaking lanes being provided. Speed limits range from 50 to 60 km/h through townships and 70–80 km/h elsewhere. Because of the lack of the standard 100 km/h rural speed limit and high traffic volumes, Victoria Police maintain a high level of patrol and vigilance.
With the introduction of traffic lights in Seville, as well as the reduction of speed limits and addition of a greater number of speed zones, the Warburton Highway is becoming over congested during peak times. Evidence of this can be seen during any weekday afternoon. Outbound traffic approaching a pedestrian crossing in Seville often queues up to 1.1 km.
Motor vehicle accidents are predominant in and around the Alsopps Road intersection in Launching Place due to fuel residue from a nearby petrol station. As many as 7 incidents in the last [when?] 6 months have had locals approaching their local MP to voice their concern.
History
The passing of the Country Roads Act of 1912[5] through the Parliament of Victoria provided for the establishment of the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads) and their ability to declare Main Roads, taking responsibility for the management, construction and care of the state's major roads from local municipalities. (Main) Warburton Road was declared a Main Road, from Lilydale via Woori Yallock to Warburton, on 20 October 1913.[1]
The passing of the Country Roads Act of 1958[6] (itself an evolution from the original Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924[7]) provided for the declaration of State Highways, roads two-thirds financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board. Warburton Highway was declared a State Highway in the 1959/60 financial year, from Lilydale via Seville, Woori Yallock and Yarra Junction to Warburton (for a total of 21 miles),[2] subsuming the original declaration of (Main) Warburton Road as a Main Road.
Warburton Highway was signed as State Route 174 between Lilydale and Warburton in 1986; with Victoria's conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in the late 1990s, this was replaced by route B380.
The passing of the Road Management Act 2004[8] granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads: in 2004, VicRoads re-declared this road as Warburton Highway (Arterial #6100), beginning from Maroondah Highway in Lilydale and ending at Warburton.[4]
^State Government of Victoria. "Road Management Act 2004"(PDF). Government of Victoria. Archived(PDF) from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
