Covid cases at Lilydale level crossing removal Maroondah Highway site

After two Covid scares and a workplace accident, two dangerous crossings in the outer east will be removed in a matter of weeks.

Works at the Lilydale level crossing removal site. Picture: Lilydale Township Action Group

The Lilydale and Mooroolbark level crossings are set to be gone for good in time for summer.

After two Covid scares, a construction shut down, and a workplace accident, work on removing the crossings was delayed.

But the Level Crossing Removal Project has announced the Manchester Rd and Maroondah Highway crossings are now targeted to be removed by November 17, with two new stations with modern facilities open for passengers at Mooroolbark and Lilydale.

Both existing stations will remain closed and buses will continue to replace trains between Ringwood and Lilydale until Tuesday, November 16.

The new rail bridges at each site have been completed, with 92 beams weighing 120 tonnes and measuring 31m each lifted into place above Manchester Rd and the Maroondah Highway.

The Maroondah Highway has also been lowered by 1m to ensure the appropriate clearance for the 29,000 vehicles that use the intersection every day.

The new Mooroolbark and Lilydale stations are also taking shape, with the station buildings and platform canopies now in place.

Crews have also installed the steel decks for the new station platforms at both sites, which when finished, will include new stairwells, lifts, lighting, and CCTV.

A new multi-deck car park, set to open next year, is also being built at Mooroolbark, that will double the current spaces for vehicles to 900.

It comes after another Covid scare at the Lilydale level crossing removal site, with two workers testing positive to the virus.

This came just weeks after a worker at the site was also diagnosed with Covid, forcing the site to close down, before all construction across Victoria was halted for a fortnight.

But this time work will continue on removing the Maroondah Highway crossing, with a Level Crossing Removal Project spokesperson saying it has a strict CovidSafe plan in place.

“Strict COVIDSafe protocols are in place at every Level Crossing Removal Project work site, in line with the chief health officer’s orders – including the requirement that all staff have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine,” the spokesperson said.

“The Major Transport Infrastructure Authority has strict COVIDSafe plans across project sites to protect our workers and the community from the spread of coronavirus.”

The two workers tested positive to Covid on Thursday, October 14, with Covid-safe measures on site ensuring the Level Crossing Removal Project team was able to quickly identify close contacts and carry out a deep clean as required.

All Major Transport Infrastructure Authority project sites, including the Level Crossing Removal Project, have strict rules around physical distancing, wearing masks, QR check-in codes and increased industrial cleaning.