Traffic on Anderson Road, Sunshine, will no longer be disrupted by trains following the opening of a new road-over-rail bridge.
Premier Denis Napthine said more than 25,000 motorists who use Anderson Road every day would enjoy a smoother journey.
The removal of a Bendigo-line level crossing a few hundred metres along Anderson Road, near King Edward Avenue, will be completed by the middle of this year.
Sunshine Residents and Ratepayers Association’s Darlene Reilly said that while traffic flow would improve, the project hadn’t solved noise issues.
“They’ve gone for the cheaper option,” she said. “It would have been good to have the trains staying at the lower level [as they pass under the road]. You wouldn’t see this in the eastern suburbs.”
The RACV is urging the government to remove two other level crossings in Brimbank as soon as possible.
Roads and traffic manager Dave Jones said crossings at Furlong Road and Main Road East in St Albans were on a list of 50 in the state that needed to go.
“Level crossings have become a major safety risk and cause of frustration on Victoria’s road network,” he said.
“[They] have outlived their usefulness in many parts of Victoria’s road network. The safest option is to keep road and rail apart at all times.”
