Level crossing removal works have begun at Brunt Road Pakenham in Melbourne’s south east, with site offices set up and rail safety fencing in place.
A new road bridge is being built over the Pakenham Line, improving safety and easing congestion for the 8400 drivers passing through each day, with up to 24 minutes delay from boom gates during the morning peak.
With two near misses and one collision since 2012, a new road bridge is expected to remove the risk of incidents between road users and trains at the level crossing.
A new shared use path will connect to existing pedestrian links within the area, expected to improve accessibility and connections to schools, shops and services on either side of the rail line.
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The community has provided feedback on the early designs for the project and the changes are set to be reflected in a design to be released in the coming months.
With these early works underway on the level crossing removal, locals are expected to travel on the new road bridge by 2025.
This level crossing is one of 22 to be removed on the Pakenham Line, improving safety and easing congestion for the south-east and making the line boom gate free by 2025.
Work is also happening to remove three dangerous and congested level crossings in nearby Pakenham and build new stations at Pakenham and East Pakenham.
110 level crossings in Melbourne are expected to be gone by 2030, with 67 currently removed.
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