Final designs have been released for a new road bridge over the Sunbury rail line at Calder Park Drive to boost safety in Melbourne’s booming north-west.
Getting rid of the level crossing at Calder Park Drive, Calder Park will improve traffic flow, meaning the nearby level crossing at Holden Road can be closed permanently, making journeys faster and local roads safer.
Boom gates can be down for more than 20% of the morning peak at these locations, when 25 trains pass through the crossings, causing delays for 10,000 vehicles each day.
With more trains planned to run on the line once the Metro Tunnel opens, it’s essential these level crossings are removed to help ease congestion and allow more trains to run more often.
We asked locals how they wanted the project to look and feel, so the designs feature more than 100,000 mostly native new trees, plants and grasses, better pedestrian and cycling connections and improved lighting. The design will also complement the Banchory Grove Grasslands, with the finish on the bridge reflecting the nearby iconic Organ Pipes National Park.
The new road bridge design is future-proofed to allow for a future road duplication required as the area grows and develops, with a new shared use path to improve local connections and link to future walking and cycling paths.
A temporary road will be built alongside Calder Park Drive to minimise disruptions during major construction.
Construction will get underway soon with site establishment following a $115 million contract awarded to an alliance comprising Fulton Hogan, Metro Trains Melbourne and the Level Crossing Removal Project.
The dangerous and congested level crossings at Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road in Diggers Rest are also set to be removed, making the Sunbury Line level crossing free by 2026.
Major works will begin in late-2023, and the Calder Park Drive level crossing will be gone for good and Holden Road closed by 2025.
