The countdown is on to the opening of Dandenong's new road underpass, with crews completing final works before it opens to vehicles in late September.
For the first time, the underpass will connect Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street with Cheltenham and Hammond roads, improving connections through Dandenong.
The team recently completed the project's largest concrete pour, creating a 42-metre-long base slab. Located beneath the new rail bridge, the slab houses the road’s drainage system that will collect stormwater and channel it to the new pump station.
The pump station is a large underground concrete structure that collects stormwater from drainage pits throughout the underpass, naturally filtering the water before pumping it through a series of pipes and into Dandenong Creek. Although it’s under the ground and will not be visible, the structure is as tall as a three-storey building.
Measuring in at 23m wide and 1.2m deep, the massive concrete pour required more than 1,100 cubic metres of concrete, delivered to site by around 185 concrete trucks.
The new road underpass is being built as part of the Webster Street Level Crossing Removal Project, with the final set of boom gates on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines dismantled late last year.
When completed, the new road connection will reduce congestion and deliver a more reliable road network for Dandenong, with drivers able to travel directly from Hammond and Cheltenham roads in the west to a brand‑new signalised intersection on Princes Highway–Lonsdale Street in the east.
The underpass will have a 5.4m clearance under the rail bridge to accommodate trucks and tall vehicles, diverting them from local streets and Dandenong’s CBD.
