We're removing the level crossings at Maddox Road and Champion Road in Newport as part of the Victorian Government's commitment to make the Werribee Line level crossing free by 2030.

The Maddox Road level crossing will be removed by building passenger and freight rail bridges over the road. The rail bridges will start to rise near Blenheim Road and return to ground near Challis Street. We’ll close Champion Road at the level crossing. A new link road, connecting Maddox Road to Champion Road via Akuna Drive, will open before the Champion Road level crossing is closed in 2026.

We’ll keep the community connected by building a pedestrian and cycling bridge over the rail line at Champion Road. Construction is starting on the project, with early works underway and major construction starting in mid 2025. With a project of this scale, there will be temporary construction impacts and changes to the way you travel. This may include the presence of workers, vehicles and construction machinery in the area, dust, noise and vibration, and local traffic and pedestrian disruptions from time to time.

We’ll carefully plan our works to minimise any inconvenience and construction impacts to local businesses and the community and provide you with notice of our works in advance.

How we minimise impacts

To minimise disruption and construction impacts, we will:

• work during daytime as much as possible
• put controls in place for noise and vibration
• use water trucks and other measures to keep dust levels down
• maintain access for local businesses and residents
• have traffic management in place, when required.

Managing construction impacts

As with any major works project, there will be times when our work activities unavoidably impact residents and businesses close to the project. These impacts can vary, depending on the nature of the work.

Some of the construction work you may see taking place includes:

• setting up site offices and facilities
• fencing off work areas to keep the community and our workforce safe
• removing trees and vegetation that will be impacted by the project
• relocating utility services and undertaking drainage works
• works for the combined services route, which houses the wiring that powers and controls signals, internal rail network telecommunications and power supplies to trains and other parts of the rail network
• relocating power lines and underground telecom lines where required
• constructing the new rail bridge infrastructure.

We carefully schedule works and have management plans in place to minimise disruption to the community during construction.

This includes working during the day where possible, putting controls in place around noise and vibration, actively monitoring air quality and dust levels, and generally planning works to reduce impacts to the community.

At times, we may have to work during the night. When 24-hour work is planned, we’ll provide you with plenty of notice and be in touch with directly affected residents.

We offer respite and relocation during noisy night works to eligible residents, where appropriate.

Sources of construction impacts

• Excavation and rock and concrete breaking causing some noise, dust and vibration
• Piling and soil compaction causing some noise, dust and vibration
• Heavy machinery, generators and power tools causing some noise and vibration
• Large trucks, including at night, causing some noise and light spill
• Some light spill from construction sites at night

Noise and vibration

Major construction projects will inevitably result in some noise and vibration. The heavy and specialised machinery we need to use such as piling rigs, cranes and excavators, will generate varying levels of noise and vibration. Noise and vibration impacts from these activities will vary depending on the location of your property and the type and duration of construction activity happening at the time.

To minimise potential noise and vibration impacts to the community, we'll:

• work during daytime as much as possible
• use quieter reversing alarms on our vehicles and machines where appropriate
• maintain a buffer zone between work areas and homes
• use temporary noise mounds, barriers and enclosures at the site of noisy works
• keep our machines in good working order
• actively monitor noise and vibration levels to make sure they are within the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) guidelines.

Piling

During construction we will need to install piles in the ground to form a stable foundation to build the new bridges and retaining walls. This involves drilling into the ground and filling large holes with concrete. This activity can cause noise and ground vibration.

The intensity of the vibrations depends on the ground conditions and distance from the works. While ground vibrations may be felt, construction activities have been planned to avoid damage to property.

What are piles?

A pile is a long cylinder made up of a strong material, such as concrete. Piles are drilled into the ground to act as a steady support for structures built on top of them.

Temporary light spill

During night works, we’ll need to light up an area for everyone’s safety. To minimise the potential for any temporary spill from lighting towers, we'll keep the amount of light to a minimum for safe access or construction and direct light towers away from homes, businesses and public buildings where possible.

Managing dust and mud

If you live near the construction area, you may notice some dust or dirt during works, particularly on windy days.

We'll use a range of measures to minimise dust and mud from construction activities and limit impacts on the surrounding environment. We’ll:

• use water trucks to regularly wet down the site
• minimise the amount of soil exposed to wind
• cover truck loads and stockpiles
• reduce the speed of construction vehicles
• use steel grids at site exit points to reduce mud from tyres
• regularly clean the roads around the site with street-sweepers
• monitor air quality throughout the project to ensure we have adequate dust controls in place throughout our works, in line with EPA requirements.

Keeping you safe while working near critical pipelines

Safety for our workers and the community is our top priority as we remove the level crossings at Maddox and Champion roads. As part of this commitment, when working near pipelines we’ll regularly monitor and record works that may impact the environment and put controls in place to meet Victorian and Australian health and safety laws.

During this time, we’ll have inspectors on-site to ensure correct procedures are followed and a three-metre clearance is maintained near the pipelines. We’ll also work closely with pipeline operators and key stakeholders, including the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

In the unlikely event of an incident, we will follow emergency plans and coordinate with emergency services and pipeline operators to ensure safety. We also keep emergency services informed of any disruptions, especially road changes.

Keeping you moving

During construction, you will notice heavy machinery in action, trucks and workers around the local area. This may lead to occasional changes to how you drive, cycle and walk through the area and potentially cause delays. There may be times when we need to reduce speed limits or close lanes on roads to maintain the safety of our work crews and the public.

While works are happening, we'll have traffic management in place on local roads and near site areas.