Jordan Doherty
Two sets of boom gates have been dismantled in Deer Park, following the removal of the dangerous and congested level crossings at Fitzgerald Road, Ardeer and Robinsons Road to improve safety and decrease congestion.
Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch said: “We’re thrilled to see the boom gates gone in Deer Park and Ardeer – improving safety and easing congestion in Melbourne’s west. The level crossings were removed well ahead of schedule, providing safer roads and safer train services for Geelong and Ballarat line passengers – Victoria’s fastest-growing and busiest regional rail corridors”.
Fitzgerald Road was the 65th level crossing to be removed earlier this year, with a new road bridge opening in July , six months ahead of schedule. The nearby Robinsons Road level crossing was removed in September 2022, with a road underpass open months ahead of the 2023 commitment.
Removing these level crossings reduces travel times, improves safety and traffic flow, and creates better local connections for pedestrians and cyclists. At Fitzgerald Road, crews built a new road bridge connecting the road to Forrest Street, featuring 21 bridge piles, 14 bridge beams, 113 concrete barriers and 324 retaining walls.
At Robinsons Road, the team excavated more than 60,000 cubic metres of rock and soil to build the new road underpass and rail bridge, and installed 430 tonnes of steel, and 7 bridge beams weighing 80 tonnes each. Locals recently celebrated the removal of the level crossings at the Western Community Fun Day (which drew a crowd of over 300) and marked the opening of a new walking and cycling path which provides a direct connection to the Western Ring Road trail.
Works will continue until the end of the year to plant more than 250,000 trees, shrubs and grasses at Fitzgerald and Robinsons roads. Works are also continuing on the nearby Mount Derrimut Road level crossing, where a rail bridge over the road will separate trains from vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, and a new Deer Park Station is being built. In late November, crews began installing large concrete L-beams that will form part of the new rail bridge over Mount Derrimut Road, with motorists asked to drive with care through the area while lane closures and reduced speeds are in place at times in December.
Together with the Mount Derrimut Road, Deer Park level crossing, there have been 18 near misses at the three locations since 2012. The boom gates at Mount Derrimut Road can be down for up to 60 per cent of the morning peak, while the boom gates at Fitzgerald and Robinsons Road were down for up to 45 per cent.
Across Melbourne, 110 dangerous and congested level crossings will be removed by 2030, with 67 already gone for good to boost safety and ease congestion.
