Three level crossings on the Werribee line in Melbourne are to get the chop as part of the Victorian Government’s ongoing Level Crossing Removal Project.
The crossings will be removed at Cherry Street, Werribee Street and Old Geelong Road in Hoppers Crossing by 2022. The means by which the crossings will be removed was eventually narrowed down to one of two options, with the government expressing a preference for each crossing.
The preferred design for the Cherry Street crossing is a road bridge running over the rail line at Tarneit Road, with ‘Design B’ comprising an underpass at Cherry Street.
The road bridge was cited as the preferred option as it would allow the project to use the irrigation channel reserve adjacent to Wyndham City Council officers to provide a direct connection from Princes Highway to Railway Avenue and Tarneit Road.
The alternate design would involve digging a 4.6-metre trench to lower Cherry Street while the rail tracks retained their present level.
A rail bridge is the preferred option for the Werribee Street crossing, with a new road bridge at Bulban Road as backup. The rail bridge was chosen as the preferred option as it would incorporate improvements at Wyndham Park, and open up space below the rail line.
For Old Geelong Road, the preferred option is a new road bridge connecting Old Geelong Road to the Princes Highway, with a road bridge at the current crossing as the ‘B’ design
Two community drop-in sessions will be held around Werribee and Hoppers Crossing to prompt further discussion around the project and allow the public to get involved on Saturday July 13 from 10am–12:30pm and Tuesday July 16 from 5pm–7:30pm.