The opening of a new road bridge to traffic in Beaconsfield, Victoria has marked the 85th level crossing removal in Melbourne.
The McKenna Drive bridge in Beaconsfield is now open to motorists, connecting Beaconsfield Avenue to Kenilworth Avenue over the Pakenham Line. Works in the area will continue over the coming months to complete roundabout, road, landscaping and lighting works.
With this crossing gone, the Pakenham Line is one step closer to being level crossing free later this year, with just two sets of boom gates to go from Melbourne’s busiest rail line.
Passengers on the Pakenham Line will also have access to five new state-of-the-art underground stations when the Metro Tunnel opens later this year.
The Victorian Government is removing 110 level crossings under the The Level Crossing Removal Project across Melbourne by 2030, one of the largest rail infrastructure projects in the State’s history.
The project has made Victorian roads safer by preventing 111 crashes and near misses every year and has slashed travel times in the morning by saving 55 hours of boom gate down time.
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The safety data is backed by new figures from Metro Trains. The data revealed the number of train and vehicle collisions and near misses across the metropolitan network has fallen by almost 80 per cent since 2019, from an average of 11 incidents a month to just two incidents a month last year.
The program has also delivered 54 new and upgraded stations, 7000 car parking spaces, 60 kilometres of walking and cycling connections, and has made way for 20 MCGs worth of open spaces, with approximately 3.4 million grasses and shrubs and 27,000 trees planted across Melbourne.
Gabrielle Williams Minister for Transport Infrastructure said in 2021 the State Government made a promise to get rid of 85 level crossings by 2025.
“And that is what we have done,” said Willaims.
“Getting rid of the Station Street, Beaconsfield level crossing brings the Pakenham Line one step closer to being boom gate free in 2025, transforming journeys in our city’s south east.”
For more information, visit: bigbuild.vic.gov.au/
