Buckley St Essendon railway station’s level crossing to be gone within three months

A CONSTRUCTION blitz in Essendon will see one of Melbourne’s worst level crossings finally removed, but commuters can expect a few more months of pain with roads to be closed and buses to replace trains.

A CONSTRUCTION blitz in Essendon will see one of Melbourne’s worst level crossings finally removed, with the State Government announcing a removal date for the notorious Buckley St crossing.

Essendon state Labor MP Danny Pearson has announced major construction to remove the crossing will start in August, with a three-month blitz to see works completed by October.

“The level crossing is among the worst in Melbourne with the boom gates down for around 78 minutes during the morning peak, leading to major delays on Buckley St and surrounding roads and causing frustration for the 11,000 people who drive through it each day,” Mr Pearson said.

ESSENDON TRADERS FEEL HEAT AS LEVEL CROSSING WORKS FORCE CUSTOMERS ELSEWHERE

BUSES REPLACE TRAINS DURING CROSSING WORKS

But the blitz means Buckley St will be closed near the level crossing for almost three months from the evening of next Thursday, August 9 and some local roads will be closed intermittently.

Buckley St level crossing works are about to ramp up so the crossing can be removed by October. Picture:Rob Leeson.

From 8pm on August 9 to 6am on Sunday, September 30 there will be no access to Buckley St between Mt Alexander Rd and Daisy St, and all adjoining intersections except Court St will be closed.

When possible, intersections at Lorraine St, Violet St and McPhail St will be open for local access only.

Buses will replace trains along some sections of the Craigieburn line between Friday, August 24 and Sunday, September 9.

Buses will replace Seymour and Shepparton trains for the entire journey to and from Southern Cross Station during this time.

The Level Crossing Removal Authority is constructing a road under the railway line near Essendon station to fix longstanding traffic delays on Buckley St.

The removal of the crossing continues to concern some Essendon residents who believe the new road-under-rail model will not be safer for children, the elderly or cyclists.

Last week, the LXRA started its ‘Yessendon’ campaign to get people shopping local. For every $10 spent locally shoppers would go into the draw to win a major prize worth $1000. Smaller weekly prizes could also be won.

The LXRA recently amended its plans and widened the footpath leading from the station over Buckley St to 1.4m following complaints the footpath was narrow and dangerous for children walking to school. The final plans for the finished road-under-rail project have not been released.

Up to 300 workers will work around the clock to complete work on the road underpass, excavating 40,000 tonnes of soil.