stages opened in October 1973 and December 1974, was originally designed for widening of the carriageways to three lanes. Work commenced in 2010 on a bypass of Holbrook. The bypass was opened to traffic on 7 August 2013 after being postponed due to wet weather. The opening of the bypass resulted in dual carriageway (much to freeway standard) over the full length of the highway for the first time. Victoria In 2008, VicRoads undertook a planning study for the upgrading of Hume Freeway by removal of direct access from adjoining properties and grade-separation of the intersections between Kalkallo and Beveridge. These intersections had the highest accident rate of the Hume Freeway in Victoria. The study, completed in March 2009, ensured council planning schemes were amended so as to reserve space for the upgrade, but no timetable had been set for the project. In addition a 4-level interchange between Hume Freeway and the proposed Outer Metropolitan Ring Road is slated to start construction in the 2030s. Timeline of duplication and bypass works Duplication works on the highway began in the 1960s and concluded in 2013. The entire route between Sydney and Melbourne is now a dual carriageway, limited access highway. 1962 – Chiltern to Barnawartha opened January, 1962. This is referred to as the 'Hume By-pass Road'. Although initially opened as a single carriageway, two lane bypass, it was the first rural bypass of Victorian towns - Chiltern and Barnawartha - on Hume Highway and was designed to allow for the future construction of a second carriageway. 1962 – Craigieburn 'Hume By-pass Road', a dual-carriageway bypass over the Sydney to Melbourne railway and Craigieburn Road, opened January 1962 at a cost of A£388,000, superseded by Craigieburn bypass in 2005. 1965/66 – Broadford to Tallarook, duplication of 4 miles completed during the financial year. 1966 – 1.6 km of dual carriageway opened over Bendooley Hill between Mittagong and Berrima, superseded by Berrima bypass in 1989. 1966/67 – Craigieburn to Kalkallo, 4.4 miles of dual carriageways completed during the financial year. 1966/67 – Tallarook, 1.4 miles completed south of Tallarook and 1.3 miles completed north of Tallarook during the financial year. 1967/68 – Kalkallo to Beveridge, 4.1 miles of dual carriageways completed during the financial year. 1969/70 – Beveridge, Completion of 11 miles of dual carriageway during the financial year, including a deviation at Beveridge and continuation south to connect with existing dual