The Gap Road level crossing has now been removed
The Gap Road level crossing located in the heart of Sunbury was a major source of congestion in the busy town centre, with 19,000 vehicles crossing the rail line at Gap Road daily.
With the boom gates down for more than a quarter of the morning peak and traffic expected to grow 40% by 2026, removing the level crossing was critical to improving safety and liveability in Melbourne’s booming north west.
Gap Road closed to traffic in June 2022 and reopened in September, freeing up Sunbury’s worst traffic bottleneck 3 years earlier than first planned. Minor works are continuing into 2023.
The Gap Road level crossing is 1 of 6 to be removed from the Sunbury Line.
Design
The Gap Road level crossing was removed with a road under rail design – improving safety and easing congestion in the heart of Sunbury, especially when more trains run on the line in future.
We also included new pedestrian and cycling paths as part of the design, better connecting the community to both sides of Sunbury.
The designs of the rail bridge and road took into account community and stakeholder feedback received during consultation in November 2020.
The updated design saw refinements to the retaining wall pattern and colour, drawing inspiration from the nearby Organ Pipe geological formations. The rail bridge design was also updated, with the number of bridge footings reduced to increase visibility for people using the paths.
In mid 2022 the design was finalised, with Sunbury local and Yorta Yorta, Gunaikurnai and Gunditjmara artist Teena Moffatt selected to design a new artwork for both sides of the rail bridge.
Construction contract
The contract for these works was awarded to the Rail Network Alliance (RNA), comprising John Holland, CPB Contractors, AECOM, RPV and Metro Trains Melbourne.
RNA has a strong track record delivering major rail infrastructure and rail systems works on the Metro Tunnel Project at the tunnel entrances and throughout the existing rail corridor, as well as the Sunbury Line Upgrade and early works for the Gap Road level crossing removal.