A Dandenong level crossing removal project will be brought forward two years ahead of schedule, with final designs revealed.
The Webster Street boom gates will be removed in late 2025, replaced with a new rail bridge and a nearby road underpass connecting Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street to Cheltenham and Hammond roads.
As part of the design, traffic will be diverted from the Dandenong CBD and heavy vehicles off Webster Street.
Works will soon start on the underpass, which will tunnel through the Mamara supermarket site on the corner of Thomas and Lonsdale streets.
After engineering assessments, the new rail bridge structure will be built before excavating the underpass, the State Government announced.
This means the road was now slated to open in 2026 – two years ahead of schedule.
An alliance of John Holland Group, Kellogg Brown and Root, Metro Trains Melbourne and the Level Crossing Removal Project will build the new underpass and remove the level crossing.
The project also includes a new pedestrian and cycling underpass beneath the existing Dandenong Creek rail bridge connecting to the Dandenong Creek Trail.
A signalised intersection will be built at Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street.
According to the Government, the Webster Street level crossing is one of the most dangerous in Melbourne, with 22 near misses recorded since 2012.
Boom gates are down for 62 minutes during the morning peak, causing traffic congestion in central Dandenong.
Removing eight level crossings in the Greater Dandenong area will save around six hours of boom gate down time each morning, the Government states.
It will also coincide with the opening of the Metro Tunnel project, allowing more services to run on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson said the Government was removing every level crossing on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, improving traffic flows and safety on South East roads.
“The Webster Street level crossings will be the last to go on the Pakenham Line, and this project, together with the Metro Tunnel, will change the way people live, work and travel,”
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams said the new east-west road connection would help to take trucks out of the Dandenong CBD.
