Construction blitz announced

Last month the Victorian Government announced the dates for the summer closure of the Belgrave-Lilydale rail line to remove the Blackburn Road level crossing.

A section of the Belgrave-Lilydale rail line will be closed between Box Hill and Ringwood from Tuesday 27 December 2016 until Monday 30 January 2017.

When major works are completed early next year and the rail line re-opens, the flashing lights and ringing bells of the level crossing will forever be a thing of the past in Blackburn. Vehicles will be able to drive over the Belgrave-Lilydale rail line on the new Blackburn Road bridge. Pedestrians will also be safer as they cross the rail lines over a wider footpath on the Blackburn Road bridge and at new pedestrian bridges at Cottage Street/Morton Park and Oliver Avenue/King Street.

The project is expected to be fully completed in mid 2017.

It's all in the numbers

During the summer works, more than 270,000 tonnes of dirt will be removed from the rail corridor to make way for the new rail line. That's the equivalent of over 50 Olympic swimming pools.

Getting all that material off site will be a big challenge for the project and will involve over 1600 truck and trailer movements, each day. Material will be taken off site via routes to the north of the rail line.

Over the major works period, nearly one and a half hectares of concrete will be sprayed on to the walls of the new cutting — that is nearly 2 soccer pitches. While the bulk excavation is underway, crews will work 12 hour shifts with at least 400 people working on site each 24 hours.

What you need to know

From Tuesday 27 December until Monday 30 January buses will replace trains on a section of the Belgrave-Lilydale lines. Buses will replace trains with a mixture of buses departing from both Blackburn and Box Hill. Blackburn Road will also be closed at the level crossing during this time.

During the week starting Monday 17 October, level crossing project representatives will be at locations including Blackburn Village and North Blackburn Shopping Centre to answer any questions. Keep an eye out!

Managing the impacts

With the amount of work that needs to happen over January, it will come as no surprise that the local community will be impacted to varying degrees.

Detailed noise modelling has been carried out to help predict areas that will be most impacted.

Noise impacts will vary depending on the activities being undertaken at any given time. Some of the main sources of noise and vibration include excavators and graders, trucks delivering materials, generators and power tools, piling rigs and reversing alarms on mobile equipment.

Residents deemed eligible for respite accommodation during the works period will be contacted by the project team. Call us if you have any concerns or want to discuss further.

South Parade – Support your local businesses

Over the next few months, South Parade will be a centre of construction activities as part of the Blackburn Road level crossing removal.

There has already been substantial changes to the look of the area as improvements are made to drainage and a new station forecourt area is constructed, providing improved access to the station.

While the works are carried out, we will at times need to make temporary changes to traffic management and parking.

Our project team is encouraged to shop local and support Blackburn Village, including the monthly community market.

The next market is scheduled for Saturday 8 October. We look forward to seeing you there.