Diggers Rest Q and A

22 September 2023

Engineering assessments have determined that the best way to remove the level crossings at Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road is by building road bridges.

At Old Calder Highway, the new road bridge will start south of the existing level crossing and connect Old Calder Highway to Diggers Rest-Coimadai Road.

The design includes new community spaces to the east and west of Diggers Rest Station and preserves land for the Diggers Rest Bowls Club future expansion.

At Watsons Road, the road bridge will be located along the same alignment as the existing road, passing over the rail line.

The new road bridge design will create more reliable journeys on Watsons Road and create safer connections over the rail line, future-proofing the area for planned growth and development.

The level crossings at Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road will be gone for good in 2025. The Sunbury Line will be level crossing free in 2025.

Building road bridges to remove both level crossings will minimise disruptions to train services, create better local connections across the rail corridor and support the future growth of Diggers Rest.

It also means the Sunbury Line will be level crossing free in 2025 when the Metro Tunnel opens, which would have increased boom gate down time at these 2 sites.

At Old Calder Highway, the new road bridge will start south of the existing level crossing and connect Old Calder Highway to Diggers Rest-Coimadai Road.

This new road bridge design:

does not impact heritage listed sites
creates new community spaces and preserves land for the Diggers Rest Bowls Club future expansion
improves travel times and community safety
provides better connections for pedestrians and cyclists with a new bike path on the bridge and improved pedestrian pathways
minimises disruptions to road users, commuters and nearby residents and businesses during construction
requires less relocation of essential services and utilities.

You can find out more by reading the Selecting the best design for the Diggers Rest Level Crossing Removal fact sheet.

The new road bridge connecting to Old Calder Highway will have one lane in each direction. There will also be an additional raised bike path on the bridge.

At Watsons Road, the road bridge will go over the rail line at the same location as the existing level crossing.

This road bridge design:

does not impact heritage listed sites
creates new community spaces and preserves land for the Diggers Rest Bowls Club future expansion
improves travel times and community safety
provides better connections for pedestrians and cyclists with a new bike path on the bridge and improved pedestrian pathways
minimises disruptions to road users, commuters and nearby residents and businesses during construction
requires less relocation of essential services and utilities.

You can find out more by reading the Selecting the best design for the Diggers Rest Level Crossing Removal fact sheet.

The new road bridge connecting to Old Calder Highway will have 2 lanes, one in each direction. The bridge will also have a pedestrian path.

Yes. We’ll deliver new walking and cycling connections as part of this project to improve local access in the area.

The road bridge connecting to Old Calder Highway will feature a raised bike path on the bridge. At Watsons Road, we will build a new walking connection on the new road bridge.

More information will be available as the project progresses.

During the design and development of this project, we looked at a range of road and rail solutions and assessed the benefits to the local community and wider transport networks.

We have undertaken technical investigations and detailed design work while considering environmental and community factors to develop the best solution for the area.

To find out more, read our Selecting the best design for the Diggers Rest Level Crossing Removal fact sheet.

Diggers Rest Station was upgraded in 2012 and the project will future proof for works that might be required in the future on both the station precinct and in the rail corridor.

Building a new station would require significant disruptions to commuters and a significantly longer construction timeframe.

The project was open for the first phase of community consultation from Tuesday 13 June to Sunday 16 July 2023. There was a high level of interest from the community, and we received 128 survey responses, about 100 additional feedback submissions and 467 comments at consultation sessions.

The community told us that they:

experience challenges with congestion, traffic and dangerous vehicle behaviour
want safe ways to walk or cycle through the area
value community meeting places and hubs
value the local businesses and don’t want to divide the town.

How this feedback informed the designs:

the level crossing removals and the new road bridges will make journeys faster and safer for all
these designs include upgraded and safer pedestrian and cyclist connections
the Old Calder Highway design creates new community spaces near Diggers Rest Station
the designs maintain connectivity across the rail line to access shops, venues and services.

To read the full consultation report, head to our Reports page.

We’re seeking feedback on the look and feel elements of the designs like ground surfaces, seating and landscaping.

This feedback will help inform aspects of the final designs for the road bridges at Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road.

You can submit feedback via the ‘Participate’ tab on Engage Victoria.

All feedback must be received by 11.59pm Sunday 1 October 2023.

Planning and technical investigation works started in late 2022 and will be ongoing until construction starts in 2024. Activities include:

geotechnical investigations (drilling) to learn about the ground conditions
site surveys, including environmental surveys
traffic studies
determining where the existing service utilities, such as gas, water, electricity, telecommunications and sewerage are located
feature surveys
flora and fauna investigations
cultural and heritage investigations
ecological assessments
baseline noise data collection.

While these works take place, you may notice some workers in the areas and streets near the level crossings, in the rail, and at Diggers Rest Station.

We will keep impacted residents and businesses up to date with works that may impact them.

As part of the Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road, Diggers Rest Level Crossing Removal Projects we must submit certain reports for the approval of the Minister for Planning, addressing the requirements of Clause 52.03 of the Hume Planning Scheme and Melton Planning Scheme.

To inform this process, we seek community feedback on certain areas relating to the project to help us understand what’s important to the community and what needs to be considered as we progress with the development of designs.

A summary of feedback received will inform the Minister for Planning’s consideration of the plans and documents required by the planning scheme.

You can make a planning approvals submission via the ‘Participate’ tab on Engage Victoria.

Environmental assessments are undertaken to inform the project design. We will look to limit the impact of works to vegetation as much as possible. Our works will also include additional planting and landscaping.

We’ll keep locals informed through community newsletters delivered to locals in the area and share information on our website and digital channels.

You can sign up for email updates on our website.

You can also follow us on social media @levelcrossings.

Our team is also available any time on 1800 105 105 or contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au.

Lastly, you can sign up for SMS alerts by texting DIGGERS to 0427 840 967 to keep informed of major traffic and construction impacts.