Essendon's turn for a construction blitz - major works to kick off on Buckley Street level crossing removal
Major works to remove the Buckley Street level crossing in Essendon are about to kick off with the Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announcing a new blitz that will see disruptions to both road and rail networks throughout June.
Road Traffic will be diverted away from Buckley Street between Mount Alexander Road and Violet Street on June 8th until June 11th.
Rail passengers on the Craigieburn line will face bus replacements from June 8th to June 10th and from the 21st to the 27th of June. Trains will be replaced by buses between Broadmeadows and North Melbourne - a good 70% of the entire Craigieburn railway line.
The major traffic diversions will return on June 21st, with Buckley Street closed between Mount Alexander Road and Violet Street, until July 6th.
The Buckley Street level crossing will be removed by sinking the roadway underneath the existing rail grade. This will be the first of the Andrews Government's 50 level crossing removals to see this design & engineering solution implemented.
The Craigieburn railway line, being one of the first to be built in Melbourne - and it was the railway line which saw the first electric train services in the 1920s - is built along the crest of a hill.
Buckley Street will carve into the western side of the hill and then rise and surface just before the Mount Alexander Road intersection.
The Level Crossing Removal Authority reported over the weekend the final U-trough was installed on the Skye/Overton Road project with catenary stanchions also erected.
The U shape of the dual bridges is designed to minimise noise and the same bridge build technique will be employed at the Kororoit Creek Road level crossing removal in Altona.
There are currently 16 level crossing removals under construction with 19 having been completed and another 15 in early planning stages.