Traffic is flowing freely, safely separated from trains underneath the new twin rail bridge for the first time this week following the removal of the level crossing on Skye/Overton Road in Frankston.
With the dangerous and congested level crossing gone since Saturday 23 June, its removal is already benefiting tens of thousands of people in Frankston and the surrounding area, including 10,000 people who drive through it each day.
Between 2005 and 2015 there were 22 safety incidents at the Skye/Overton Road level crossing, including a pedestrian fatality in 2010. Now that the crossing is a relic of the past, the local community and businesses will also benefit from less congestion and safer movement across the railway line.
The reopening of Skye/Overton Road is a significant milestone for the local community, that came just days after trains began taking passengers at the new Frankston Station.
About 300 people worked around-the-clock to remove the level crossing, demolish the old station and build the new Frankston Station.
Innovative technology was used at Skye/Overton Road to build the rail bridge from 24 concrete U-trough beams, each measuring 31m long and weighing more than 280 tonnes.
Each section was transported overnight 150km by road from Kilmore in Victoria’s north to the construction site in Frankston – a massive logistical effort that was coordinated together with VicRoads, EastLink, several local councils and other authorities.
This approach saw the level crossing removed and people back onto trains quickly, minimising disruption to the community.
To enable more trains to run, more often, a total of 13 level crossings will be removed and 10 stations built along the Frankston Line, including those recently opened at Southland, Ormond, McKinnon, Bentleigh and at Frankston.
Together these projects are creating more than 2000 jobs.