Calder Park is level crossing free, with the new Calder Park Drive bridge over the rail line now open to traffic.
The opening marks the 87th level crossing removal across Melbourne, with the new road bridge boosting safety and easing congestion in Melbourne’s busy north west by permanently separating trains from vehicles.
Two former race cars were among the first vehicles to test drive the new Calder Park Drive road bridge ahead of its opening.
The 1990 Chevrolet Lumina NASCAR and the 1990 Holden VN Commodore AUSCAR both raced at the nearby Calder Park Raceway’s Thunderdome in the 1990s.
“We took the cars for a couple of laps over the bridge and it was a smooth ride,” driver Richard White said.
“The whole team have done an awesome job. It’s an impressive overpass. We used to come down Calder Park Drive to go to the raceway and it’s great to see all the new development in the area.”
Removing the Calder Park Drive level crossing will improve traffic flow, allowing for the closure of the level crossing at nearby Holden Road, which will remain accessible via Plumpton Road.
More than 10,000 vehicles used these level crossings each day, facing delays of up to 26 minutes when 25 trains travelled through the crossings in the morning peak.
In the coming months, crews will complete the Calder Park Drive bridge’s shared use path and landscaping works, planting more than 200 trees and 100,000 plants, shrubs and grasses throughout the area.
