Toorak Rd level crossing to open early as work ramps up on project
Plans to build a rail bridge over Toorak Rd are on track to finish earlier than planned as works ramp up. See how motorists and rail commuters will be disrupted over the coming months.
VIC News
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A massive operation to build a rail bridge over Toorak Rd will be ramped up to finish six months early.
Motorists and rail commuters will be hit by disruptions over the next month as two 550-tonne cranes raise giant concrete segments over the busy corridor.
Construction crews are currently laying the groundwork to build the bridge out of 40 segments each weighing 128 tonnes and up to 31m long.
Each segment will be trucked 87km from Kilmore and over the Bolte Bridge. Night-time speed limits will be lowered in the Burnley Tunnel between March 6 and 9.
The work means buses will replace Glen Waverley line trains between Richmond and Glen Waverley stations over the Labour Day weekend. Buses will also replace trains between Burnley and East Malvern from April 3 to 12.
Drivers on Toorak Rd have been told to expect delays during night-time closures in March and April.
The removal of the level crossing will alleviate congestion, with boom gates currently closed for more than a third of the time during the morning peak.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the bridge would “free up traffic in every direction” and affect 37,000 vehicles a day.
Project director Steve Brown said the rail bridge was taking shape at record pace.
”We’ve installed more than half of it in under a week, and the project is on track to be finished six months ahead of schedule,” he said.
Melburnians face a city- wide construction blitz this autumn, including major shutdowns of the Frankston and Upfield lines.
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