Blackburn Road level crossing almost gone forever

After 47 years, the boom gates on Blackburn Road will soon be a distant memory. Major works this summer will see the rail line lowered with trains running underneath Blackburn Road for the very first time.

The boom gates will no longer be down for 54 minutes in the 2-hour morning peak, meaning improved travel times for the 16,000 vehicles that travel through the area each day.

To remove the dangerous and congested level crossing, an intensive period of works will kick off on Tuesday 27 December and run until Sunday 5 February.

Blackburn Road will reopen to vehicles on Monday 6 February, with the full project to be complete in mid-2017.

Check out this update for more information on the summer works.

Disruptions

Road Closure

Blackburn Road will be closed at the level crossing from Tuesday 27 December 2017 until 5am Monday 6 February 2017.

South Parade will also be closed between Gardenia Street and Blackburn Road. Traffic shall be detoured via Springvale Road or Middleborough Road and Canterbury Road only.

Access for residents and businesses will be maintained. Please observe local traffic signs and detour routes.

Belgrave/Lilydale line

Sections of the Belgrave/Lilydale line will close from Tuesday 27 December 2016 until the last service on Sunday 5 February 2017.

During this time buses will replace trains between Box Hill/Blackburn and Ringwood. A range of different buses will be operating, including limited express and stopping all stations services, to help make the journey as direct as possible. Normal train services will resume and the new Heatherdale Station  will open on Monday 6 February 2017.

Heatherdale Road, Mitcham

Also remember that during the summer works it is not just Blackburn Road level crossing that is being removed. The level crossing at Heatherdale Road in Mitcham will also be removed and a new station constructed.

What to expect

Whether you live in sight distance of the train line or just drive by it every day, the works this summer will not fail to capture your attention at some point.

Truck movements

The first thing you will notice is the number of trucks on the roads. During the first few weeks we need to remove about 51 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of soil. This means over 1600 truck movements to and from the rail corridor each day during the excavation period.

These trucks will access the work site from specified truck haulage routes on the north side of the tracks. The only access route on the south is between Springvale Road and the Seventh Day Adventist site that trucks will use as an access point only.

If you notice a truck that you think is not being driven safely, contact the project on 1800 105 105.

Dust

With works taking place during summer, the project is putting in place measures to help manage the dust that will be caused by the excavation. Hoses will spray water into the excavation area to dampen the soil and water trucks will be used to spray areas outside of the cutting itself, including roads.

We will be using street sweepers, installing rumble grids at worksite exits and using tarps to cover trucks leaving the worksite.

We will be doing everything we can to minimise the dust from this major construction zone, however if you are concerned about dust on your property please contact us at contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.

Noise

During summer, works on the project will be undertaken 24 hours a day. This will mean that trucks, excavators, lighting and other activities will be able to be heard. Noise modelling done earlier this year was able to provide the project with a good indicator of what the noise levels are likely to  be during the works and which properties will be most impacted.

Residents at these highly impacted properties have been contacted about the works and offered relocation.

Workers

One other thing you will not be able to avoid is the colour orange, fluorescent orange to be precise.

During the works there will be more than 400 workers on site each day, wearing fluorescent orange. Give them a smile and a wave as they are going to be working very hard (probably in very hot conditions) and spending a lot of time away from family and friends.

How to keep up to date

If you're going away, being relocated or simply want to keep up to date with the project, check out our social media channels.

On Twitter, Facebook and Instagram we will be posting regular progress photos and videos. By signing up to our email updates we can take you through the progress the team is making.

Key statistics

• 1267 concrete piles already installed
• 12,000 tonnes worth of ballast will be replaced
• 270,000 tonnes of soil removed during the 41 day bulk excavation
• 5500 lineal metres of drainage laid
• 400+ workers each day on site
• 3.5km of single train track laid
• 1667 truck movements each day during the first 2 to 3 weeks

Q&A sessions

Over the 6 week rail closure we will be hosting weekly Q&A sessions around the project zone.

Stay tuned for locations and times you can come along, ask a question and get an update on the ongoing work. If you have kids that are getting excited by all the trucks and diggers, we will have special viewing sessions just for children so they can put on a high vis vest and feel like a part of the action!

Shopping locally in Blackburn

In addition to the closure of Blackburn Road, a section of South Parade will also be closed over the works. Many of the shops along South Parade will be open during the works period and we would like to encourage you to continue to support your local shops.

Over the coming weeks, you will see posters, flyers and brochures start to pop up with our Shop Local campaign. We will be handing out prizes sourced from small businesses in Blackburn, snacks, tasty treats and free coffees to the residents and commuters who come and shop locally.

We will be sending our workers out to shop locally with incentives like raffles, catering sourced from local shops and shout outs to "a trader a day".

If you run a local business in the area and you have questions about the works or ideas on how we can best support you, please get in touch with us on 1800 105 105 or contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.