Painting of the new Old Calder Highway road bridge is underway as part of the final phase of structural works on the level crossing removal.
Crews are working to remove 2 dangerous level crossings at Old Calder Highway and Watsons Road, Diggers Rest, making the Sunbury Line level crossing free this year.
More than 8000 vehicles use the 2 level crossings every day, facing delays of up to 36 minutes when 27 trains travel through the crossings during the morning peak.
Over the coming weeks painting of the Old Calder Highway road bridge’s retaining wall and support structure will continue.
During consultation the community preferenced warm, natural tones that reflected the area, as well as textured walls in a nod to the rocky landscape that is a feature of the local environment. Painting on the wall on the west side of the new road bridge was finished in April, with crews now turning to the eastern side.
Work is also underway to paint the giant piers supporting the bridge structure and road barriers along the bridges edge.
With most of the structural work now completed, crews will turn their attention to finalising the east and west approaches to the bridge, asphalting, and installing new bus bays for Diggers Rest Station.
Work is also continuing at Watsons Road, where more than 270 concrete panels have been recently installed to form the eastern retaining wall. A further 200 panels will be installed over the coming months.
The Old Calder Highway bridge will permanently separate trains and vehicles, improving safety and easing congestion in the heart of Diggers Rest. A raised bike path will also be built to provide cycling access across the bridge.
When it opens to traffic later this year crews will then turn their attention to closing Old Calder Highway at the level crossing, truncating the road on the eastern side, and building a new community space with landscaping and new vegetation.
The Watsons Road bridge will include a separated pedestrian path, preparing the road for the residential growth expected for Diggers Rest’s north in the future.
