The Victorian Government is removing the dangerous level crossing at Hallam Road, Hallam, and building a new station to improve safety, reduce congestion and pave the way for more trains, more often on the Pakenham line.

As with any major construction project, there will be times when our work activities unavoidably impact residents and businesses close to the project.

We have management plans in place to help minimise the impacts to the surrounding community, including from:

• noise and vibration
• light spill during night works
• dust and mud
• traffic congestion.

Impacts vary during construction. We take steps to minimise noise, dust and vibration impacts in accordance with environmental guidelines for major construction sites from the Environmental Protection Authority Victoria.

Construction vibration

Some activities can cause vibration during major works, such as soil compaction for retaining walls and installing deep foundations, known as piles, to support the new elevated rail.

While these works can cause noticeable levels of ground vibration, they are highly unlikely to cause property damage. We offer property condition surveys to businesses and residents close to our works. This helps us understand the condition of properties before we start works. We also install vibration monitors near the project site to ensure vibrations are within appropriate limits.

What causes noise, vibration and dust

The main sources of noise, vibration and dust are:

• excavation works
• installing foundations
• compacting soil
• heavy machinery, generators and power tools.

We regularly measure air quality, noise levels and vibration to ensure that we are managing these impacts appropriately.

Construction noise

Construction noise is inevitable on major infrastructure projects.

To minimise noise, we:

• limit out-of-hours works wherever we can
• use quieter reversing alarms on our vehicles and machines
• actively monitor noise levels.

We generally work from 7am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays. At times, we will need to work at night and on weekends. We will notify affected residents and businesses in advance of any out-of-hours works.

Managing dust

If you live near the construction area, you may notice some dust or dirt during works, particularly on windy days. We use a range of measures to minimise dust, including:

• spraying work areas with water, especially on hot and windy days
• covering truck loads and stockpiles
• using street sweepers
• reducing the speed of construction vehicles
• monitoring air quality to ensure adequate controls are in place.

Temporary lighting

At times, we will need to use temporary lighting to safety undertake works at night. To minimise the potential for light spill, we:

• keep the amount of light to the minimum needed
• direct light towers away from homes and businesses.

Work zones

We set up safe work zones so our construction team can safely access the rail corridor and work areas.

We also store equipment in safe work zones. You will notice fencing or barriers installed around these areas.

This may mean temporary changes to street parking and speed limits.

Truck movements

As we begin major works, you will notice more trucks and workers around the local area.

We aim to move trucks, particularly those carrying excavated material, away from construction sites and onto the arterial road network.

There may be times when we need to reduce speed limits or close lanes on roads to maintain the safety of our work crews and the public. To help manage any changes to local roads, you will see traffic controllers around our project area while works take place.

Traffic controllers are there to:

• safely direct vehicles and pedestrians around any detours
• support truck movement in and out of project areas
• keep people moving around the project area in the safest way possible.

We know that Hallam Road is an important part of the road network, particularly for local businesses.

We have planned the works to keep Hallam Road open as much as possible, with most of the required closures limited to off-peak periods. The longest closure will be up to one week.