17 July 2024
In June 2024, we released updated designs for Bear Street and McDonald Street, Mordialloc, and Station Street, Aspendale. We then hosted a webinar and an in-person information session to share the updated designs for the Mordialloc Level Crossing Removal Project and answer project related questions.
Thank you to everyone who attended. Here is a compiled list of the most frequently asked questions we received about the updated project designs.
To view the updated designs and read more, visit our project page , in particular:
If you have any further questions for the project team, please contact us any time on 1800 105 105 or email contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au .
Please note that this information is up to date as of July 2024. While we have endeavoured to provide detailed answers where possible, as the project develops, this content is subject to change.
Mordialloc traffic changes
Bear Street will close to vehicles to allow the new rail bridge over McDonald Street to tie into the nearby train stabling yard. This existing train stabling yard is an essential operating requirement for Melbourne’s rail network.
Bear Street needs to close to allow the rail bridge to descend to ground level and tie in to the existing stabling yard and Mordialloc Creek rail bridge.
At Bear Street, there will be less than 3m clearance between the bridge and the road, which does not meet the minimum clearance required by the Department of Transport to allow any vehicles underneath (4.8m).
In addition to this, a rail bridge over Bear Street would require an upgrade to the Mordialloc Creek rail bridge, which is not in the scope of the project.
Closing Bear Street will create space for a vibrant new station precinct with safer connections to transport and nearby shops, and pedestrian and cyclist access will be maintained.
The new rail bridge over McDonald Street needs to tie into the nearby existing train stabling yard, which is at ground level.
Building the rail bridge over Bear Street to keep it open would mean that the rail couldn’t tie in to the stabling yard, which is an essential operating requirement for Melbourne’s train network.
It would also require an upgrade to the Mordialloc Creek rail bridge, which is not in the scope of the project.
Over Bear Street, the bridge clearance will be less than 3m, which does not meet the minimum clearance required by the Department of Transport to allow any vehicles underneath (4.8m). This is why we can’t keep Bear Street open, even just to cars.
Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to safely travel under the bridge, with the area integrated into the new Mordialloc Station precinct.
Access to private properties and laneways on Bear Street will remain available from their respective side via either the Main Street service road or the Albert Street roundabout.
To make sure traffic continues to flow smoothly through the new boom gate-free area, we'll make additional traffic changes, including:
upgrading the McDonald Street and Nepean Highway roundabout by building a new slip lane for vehicles turning left from McDonald Street to the Nepean Highway improving the Albert Street and McDonald Street intersection and making Albert Street one way (southbound between Lewis Street and McDonald Street) to help traffic flow smoothly and safely installing signalised pedestrian crossings to make it easier and safer to cross Albert Street and McDonald Street to get to the new Mordialloc Station.
We carried out detailed traffic studies and traffic modelling, as well as other site investigations and engineering work, to help inform the updated designs and traffic flow in the area.
We have also consulted with the community, Kingston City Council, and the Department of Transport of Planning and emergency services.
Other design solutions for the intersection, like installing traffic lights at the intersection, would have significant impacts on Mordialloc’s iconic palm trees and parking outside local businesses.
There will be no net loss of formal commuter parking at the station.
Due to road standards regarding parking near intersections, and the locations of nearby paths, a small number of on-street parks will be removed on the Nepean Highway near Hearle Avenue.
We are still working through parking designs in Mordialloc and Aspendale, in consultation with Kingston City Council and the Department of Transport and Planning, and we’ll keep residents and traders updated as these plans progress.
Drivers travelling west towards the Nepean Highway will be able to change lanes on McDonald Street before they reach the Nepean Highway. Two speed bumps, around 40m apart, will help calm traffic and make this transition safer. Drivers will then be able to turn left using the new slip lane near the roundabout, or right using the roundabout.
Drivers will be able to exit the eastern Main Street service road onto the Nepean Highway as usual and travel via McDonald Street to get back towards Albert Street.
The new design celebrates the heritage and unique character of Mordialloc. The forecourt landscaping draws on the distinctive personality of Mordialloc creek and the surrounding wetland.
The historic water tower will remain an important part of the precinct, with landscaping, paths and seating surrounding it to ensure it is honoured as a defining feature of the station.
We're also incorporating the original platform one station building into the design and reusing the space as a Protective Services Officers (PSO) building.
Once construction starts and we can properly assess this building, we’ll know how much of the original building we can use and save.
Pompei’s bridge and the clock tower sit outside of the project area, so will be unaffected and remain as they are.
Safety of the community has been a key consideration in the design development of the new Mordialloc Station. The new station precinct will meet modern accessibility and safety standards with improved lighting and CCTV cameras.
As a premium station, Mordialloc will be staffed from first train to last, and Protective Services Officers (PSOs) will be present during regular PSO hours.
Yes. There will be secure bike storage (a Parkiteer), and bike hoops in the precinct, with the locations to be finalised in consultation with Metro Trains Melbourne and Kingston City Council.
Yes. There will be 3 toilets – 2 wheelchair-accessible toilets and one ambulant toilet. These will be located next to the waiting area, near the southern station entrance.
Yes. The number of car parks will remain the same. These will be standard all-day car parks for anyone using public transport.
Aspendale traffic changes
A roundabout will be quieter and less disruptive for nearby residents, making it more suitable than traffic lights for this local road. Traffic will be able to move more smoothly, compared with traffic lights.
Building a roundabout on Station Street instead of traffic lights ensures that traffic will be calmer and smoother, as opposed to a more stop/start traffic flow as seen with traffic lights. This will make it safer for residents to enter and exit their driveways.
The roundabout design also maintains the clear space (about one car wide) that currently exists between the kerb and traffic lane along Station Street. This space will also help residents have easy access to and from their driveways. If we were to install traffic lights, this space would need to be removed to make way for the traffic lights.
The roundabout, together with the new pedestrian crossings and shared use path, will provide a safe area for road users to move through. With a turning circle suitable for all local traffic, including school buses, the roundabout will calm traffic and reduce congestion, making it safe for road users and less disruptive to nearby residents. Roundabouts are considered more suitable for local roads as they provide traffic calming measures and reduce traffic build-up that can be caused by traffic lights.
We have consulted with the relevant road authorities and completed traffic assessments to ensure that our designs are safe for everyone.
We carried out detailed traffic studies and traffic modelling, as well as other site investigations and engineering work, to help inform the updated designs. We have also consulted with the community, Council, and the Department of Transport of Planning. As part of project planning, we considered traffic movements, along with current and potential safety implications.
Walking and cycling
We are building a new pedestrian and cyclist path along the new rail line, a new speed bump on McDonald Street, and 2 new signalised pedestrian crossings on both Albert and McDonald streets. These changes, along with the closure of Bear Street, will allow pedestrians and cyclists to move safely through the station precinct.
We’re also building a new walking and cycling path along the rail line, connecting to existing paths within Attenborough Park. We will build pedestrian crossings at Station Street and signalised crossings at Nepean Highway, Aspendale.
We’re investigating connections and working with Kingston City Council and Department of Transport and Planning.
In addition to other upgrades in the area, we'll close the narrow underpass beneath the train tracks connecting Pompei’s Landing and George Woods Reserve because of adjustments to the stabling yard required for the changed rail alignment.
We heard feedback from the community, Council and DTP regarding people feeling unsafe in the existing underpass. Pedestrians and cyclists wishing to cross the rail line can use nearby existing paths in the area, including the Mordialloc Creek pedestrian and cyclist bridge.
We are also working with DTP and Kingston City Council to explore alternative, safer path connections in the area.
Yes, the new walking and cycling paths will have lighting for safety.
Pedestrian and cyclist safety is a top priority for the project. We’re relocating and upgrading the existing McDonald Street pedestrian crossing near the Nepean Highway around 70m east, closer to Mordialloc Station and Albert Street. The new crossing location will reduce congestion on McDonald Street and Nepean Highway and create a safe connection for pedestrians and cyclists at Mordialloc Station.
Currently, the crossing on McDonald Street is near the Nepean Highway roundabout, and is half signalised, half zebra crossing. To retain the crossing, it would need to be entirely signalised, or made into a full zebra crossing, which would be less safe and would increase traffic congestion.
Traffic modelling shows that making this pedestrian crossing completely signalised would cause significant congestion on the Nepean Highway, as it may result in traffic backing up through the roundabout, particularly during peak times.
A zebra crossing would have a similar impact and is less safe for pedestrians. With the new lane on McDonald Street, there is also not enough room to build a zebra crossing. This is because a zebra crossing across more than four lanes of traffic must have a pedestrian refuge in the middle, and there isn’t room for this on McDonald Street without narrowing the footpaths.
Additional safety measures will be implemented at the former crossing, including barriers located at the kerbs near the former roundabout crossing to discourage jaywalking and safely separate road and path users.
Replacing the Nepean Highway and McDonald Street roundabout with a signalised intersection is also not within the scope of project works and would have significant impacts on the palm trees and parking on the Main Street service roads.
Building a signalised crossing or overpass over the Nepean Highway in Mordialloc is not within the scope of the project. Existing crossings will remain in place, with new signalised crossings within the project area on McDonald Street and Albert Street.
Overall design
When the project design is finalised, we’ll work with individual residents near the rail bridges on what the bridge will look like when we have more information.
We will make every effort to minimise the impact of our works on local vegetation, however some vegetation removal is unavoidable as part of major infrastructure projects. Across our Frankston Line projects we have successfully relocated and returned over 30 palm trees. We'll know more about impacts to vegetation when the project design is finalised, but retaining Mordialloc's iconic palm trees has been a key consideration and priority in our design development.
We will also be planting extensively in the new station precinct. As part of our community consultation, we heard that the community would like to see most of the open space dedicated to new trees, plants and landscaping, with a focus on indigenous trees and native bush. The station forecourt will include raised garden beds, seating and landscaped areas, creating a vibrant and welcoming public space.
Construction and disruptions
Frankston Line trains will continue to run from Mordialloc Station throughout most of the construction period. To do this, we’ll keep a platform open and run services with a modified timetable in both directions. There will be changes to travel at times when we need to work on or near roads, paths and public transport, or in the rail corridor. We'll communicate any travel changes in advance, including when buses replace trains.
Minimising disruption to the community is important to us. We reduce noise impacts where possible in our construction methods, including reviewing when we schedule noisier works. We monitor sound levels before and during works so we can assess the impact to residents and implement other measures if necessary. We will notify nearby residents ahead of time about impactful works, and in some cases provide temporary relocation or other respite options. We will work with impacted residents directly when this is the case.
As with any major works project, construction impacts are expected and can vary depending on the nature of the works and the phase of construction.
We minimise road and pedestrian impacts where possible, however at times during construction, there will be changes to traffic and pedestrian access routes. During these times, we will have traffic management in place to ensure vehicles and pedestrians can move around the area safely.
We will continue to keep any residents who live near the works directly updated. This includes through doorknocking, letters, SMS alerts and other notifications. Our team will continue to keep residents and businesses updated as our planning continues. We encourage you to sign up for our email updates for the latest project news via our website. You can also sign up for SMS alerts by texting MRD to 0429 839 892 .
At this stage, construction is due to start later in 2024, with major works occurring in 2025. As we work through this design and plan the works, we’ll continue to keep the community updated.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to subscribe to our email updates to stay informed about the Mordialloc Level Crossing Removal Project.
You can also sign up to SMS alerts for the project by texting MRD to 0429 839 892 .