Toorak Rd level crossing removed six months early
It has taken an intense period of work around the clock, but the tens of thousands of motorists who go through the Toorak Rd level crossing in Kooyong can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Inner East
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A major bottleneck in Stonnington has gone forever after work on a level crossing finished six months ahead of schedule.
Trains started travelling over the new rail bridge at Toorak Rd for the first time this morning after crews worked around the clock for the past nine days.
Work included removing the boom gates, laying new tracks, installing wiring and signalling and connecting the new bridge to the Glen Waverley line.
Toorak Rd will also be reopened from Wednesday morning, with motorists no longer facing delays at the boom gates.
The Toorak Rd and Monash Freeway interchange is one of the most congested intersections in Melbourne, with about 37,000 vehicles travelling through it each day in normal periods.
Talbot Crescent was blocked off at one end during construction of the rail bridge, with residents and council pushing for the Kooyong road to be turned into a permanent cul-de-sac.
But the State Government rebuffed them.
Forty L beams formed the bridge, each up to 31m long and weighing up to 128 tonnes.
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Works on open space will finish next year, with more than 23,000 trees, plants and grasses to be planted in the area.
The massive operation resulted in numerous transport delays in recent months, while buses also replaced trains for a significant part of the Glen Waverley line from April 3 to 12.
