Works continue in the west

Three crossings at Robinsons Road and Mt Derrimut Road in Deer Park, and Fitzgerald Road in Ardeer, will be removed along the Geelong and Ballarat lines.

We’re removing the level crossing at Robinsons Road by building a road underpass under the rail line. The level crossing at Fitzgerald Road will go by building a new road bridge.

Major construction is underway at these crossings, with both projects fast tracked for completion by 2023.

We’ll remove the level crossing at Mt Derrimut Road by building a rail bridge over the road. We’ll also build a new Deer Park Station, complete with bicycle facilities, car parking, accessible platforms, and landscaping.

Construction will start in early 2022, with the level crossing to be removed in 2024.

Project benefits

• Improved safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians
• Improved travel times and reduced congestion
• Enables more trains to run more often
• Boom gates in Deer Park and Ardeer can be down for up to 45% of the morning peak, when up to 37 trains run through the crossings.

A construction worker cuts the rail at Fitzgerald Road during our winter construction blitz

Bridge beams in place at Fitzgerald Road

The new road bridge at Fitzgerald Road is taking shape following 24/7 works in Ardeer.

A full road and rail closure paved the way for the installation of 14 bridge beams during the works. Weighing in at 61 tonnes each, the beams will form the new road bridge over the rail line when works finish in 2023.

Each bridge beam was precast in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs.

Local truck and logistics company Hi-Haul Transport then transported the beams to site.

A 750-tonne crane then lifted the beams into place over Forrest Street and the rail line. Works finished ahead of schedule despite the poor weather conditions.

Kidz keep it Kool with level crossing learnings

As works continue to remove dangerous level crossings in the west, youngsters at Kool Kidz

Childcare had a special visit from the Robinsons Road project team last week, where they could try on personal protective equipment, take a photo with a 5-tonne excavator and ask questions of the construction team.

The event was held to thank the Kool Kidz community for their continued patience and support, following the start of major works at Robinsons Road this year.

Major works at Robinsons Road include excavating the rail line and building a bridge for trains to safely cross the road underpass in 2022.  Other works include completing service relocation works and constructing a new service road nearby Kool Kidz Childcare on Westwood Drive.

The new road underpass will provide improved safety, reduced travel times, better local connections and easier access to services.

To date, we've removed 29,000 cubic metres of material as part of the earthworks program. There will be 42,000 cubic metres removed once the project is complete, equivalent to 17 Olympic size swimming pools.

To complete works for the new road, we have used both 50 and 80 tonne excavators to dig out the soil.

Robinsons Road

We’re getting on with the job of removing the dangerous and congested level crossing at Robinsons Road, Deer Park by building a road underpass under the rail line.

Major construction is underway, with the recent completion of the new rail bridge and the ongoing excavation of the new road underpass.

The new underpass will provide reduced travel times, better local connections and easier access to services.

Earthworks will continue in early 2022, as we continue to remove earth and rock to build the new road on either side of the rail line.

Did you know?

To date, crews have removed 29,000 cubic metres of rock, soil and dirt through our earthworks. Once removed, dirt is carted off-site to a recycling facility in Sunshine, where rock is processed for reuse in pavement and other civil construction works

Project timeline

Late 2020

• Site establishment

Early 2021

• Ongoing site establishment
• Bridge foundation works
• Service relocations

Mid – late 2021

• Major works begin
• Rail bridge construction
• Earthworks and new road construction starts

2022

• Earthworks complete
• Shared use path construction

2023

• Project complete
• Landscaping works
• Boom gates gone

Timeline subject to change.

Fitzgerald Road

Major works started in July to remove the level crossing by building a road bridge over the rail line at Fitzgerald Road, Ardeer.

The level crossing removal in Ardeer has progressed and we are ramping up construction activities to open the new road overpass by 2023.

Works are well underway on the new road bridge.

In early 2022, we will start building the new Fitzgerald Road intersection onto Forrest Street, continue to install retaining wall panels next to the bridge and undertake further service relocation work.

Did you know?

More than 200 trees and around 150,000 shrubs and grasses will be planted as part of the project with a focus on species indigenous to the area.

Project timeline

Early 2021

• Site establishment

Mid 2021

• Service relocations
• Bridge foundation works

Late 2021

• Bridge superstructure works

2023

• Project complete
• Boom gates gone

Visit @levelcrossings on Instagram to follow project progress.