The new Watsons Road bridge has opened to traffic in Diggers Rest, boosting safety and easing congestion in Diggers Rest.
The opening of the new road bridge over the busy Sunbury Line marks the 88th level crossing removal in Melbourne, permanently separating trains from vehicles to provide safer connections for the growing Diggers Rest community.
The milestone was marked in style with 14 classic cars from the Macedon Ranges and District Motor Club road testing the new bridge, which includes a pedestrian path to future proof for the growing Diggers Rest community and make it easier for everyone to move across the rail corridor.
It follows the opening of the new Golden Way road bridge and removal of the Old Calder Highway level crossing in June.
A new community open space connecting the Diggers Rest Station to the post office was created as part of the project, and 35,000 trees, shrubs and grasses planted across the project area.
More than 8000 vehicles used the Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road level crossings every day, facing delays of up to 36 minutes when 27 trains travelled through the crossings during the morning peak.
Getting rid of these crossings also avoids even longer boom gate delays when more trains start running on the Sunbury Line following the opening of the Metro Tunnel this weekend.
The almost 100km Metro Tunnel rail corridor is now boom gate free, with all 35 sets of boom gates gone from the Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines, easing congestion for the more than half a million motorists who used these crossings every day, eliminating a collective total of 23 hours of boom gate down time in the morning peak.
Across Melbourne, we’re removing 110 level crossings by 2030, with 88 now gone for good.
