Trains and traffic safely separated at Abbotts Road level crossingThe new rail bridge over Abbotts Road in Dandenong South is now in use, meaning trains are safely separated from more than 20,000 vehicles that use the road each day.

There is now no more waiting at the boom gates in this busy industrial precinct.

Our teams worked day and night to complete a total of 16,000 hours of work on site across the recent 10-day construction blitz.

Trains were suspended on the Cranbourne line from 28 August to 8 September, to allow the works to take place.

While train commuters were on replacement buses, the team worked hard to put the finishing touches on the 410-metre long rail bridge, including train signalling and overhead equipment and linking new and existing track on either side of the bridge.

An exciting milestone was achieved on 29 August during the 10-day blitz with the removal of the boom gates.

These upgrades eliminate the very real risk of incidents at level crossings.

Over the past decade at Abbotts Road, there were two collisions between a train and a vehicle which resulted in a fatality, in addition to several reported near misses.

The new bridge will improve safety for both train commuters on the Cranbourne line and road users, including a high proportion of trucks, on Abbotts Road.

LEVEL CROSSING REMOVAL UPDATE

ABBOTTS ROAD DANDENONG SOUTH

OCTOBER 2018

Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

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Two new sections of track being welded during the blitz.

Trains were suspended on the Cranbourne line during a 10-day construction blitz to remove the level crossing at Abbotts Road in Dandenong South. This meant our work crews could occupy the rail line to safely carry out these works.

The old track and sleepers were removed to make way for the new alignment.

The new alignment and rail track running across the bridge.

New overhead wiring and equipment was installed.

A milestone of the construction blitz was removing the boom gates.

Crews worked around the clock to safely separate trains from cars and trucks at Abbotts Road.

A test train on the new bridge on the last day of the construction blitz.

There is now no more waiting at the boom gates at this busy industrial precinct.

BLITZ IN PICTURES

Caring for our surroundsWith the level crossing at Abbotts Road now gone, and thousands of vehicles benefiting from the improved safety and less congestion daily, it’s a fitting time to look at the positive impact the project has had on the surrounding environment.

Nick, our project's Senior Environmental Adviser, has taken care of ensuring our works adhere to relevant legislation and has taken a lead role in implementing environmental strategies to look after the area around our site.

Nick’s role on site has been to provide advice to the construction team on environmental requirements and ensure compliance throughout the project.

“I enjoy advising my colleagues on how they can achieve their construction objectives while being environmentally compliant,” Nick said.

Nick has implemented several environmental and sustainability initiatives over the life of the project, including installing rainwater tanks, using a local waste contractor, re-using soil excavated from the site and installing possum boxes.

The installation of two low-cost 5000 litre rainwater tanks has saved 220,000 litres of water in one year, the equivalent to 2700 bathtubs.

The tanks harvest about 20,000 litres of water per month – enough

to meet toilet water requirements for 60 staff. The tanks are fed from a 400m2 catchment made up mostly of temporary site office roofs.

In addition to saving water, re-using soil excavated from within the site in the retained earth ramps at either side of the bridge has had a positive effect.

“This meant less material had to be excavated, imported and transported to the site," Nick said.

“Also, as part of the works to build the new bridge, some vegetation had to be removed and these trees were recycled as mulch for a local school and timber logs for council projects.”

These initiatives have helped save water, create safer homes for wildlife and reduced the amount of trucks on local roads, all while improving safety on Abbotts Road by separating trains and vehicles.

“It has been exciting to see trains now above the road and the boom gates gone, all while achieving a positive environmental record.”

Senior Environmental Adviser, Nick, with one of the possum boxes installed as part of the project’s environmental initiatives.

That's a wrap!With major works now complete and trains running on the new rail bridge over Abbotts Road, we'd like to say thank you for your support and patience during construction.

This is the last edition of the Abbotts Road community update - thanks for reading!

WPA

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CONTACT UScontact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au1800 105 105 Level Crossing Removal Authority GPO Box 4509, Melbourne VIC 3001

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