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The dangerous and congested level crossing on Clyde Road in Berwick is officially gone for good with motorists now traveling underneath the new rail bridge – the 58th level crossing removed by the Andrews Labor Government.
The new rail bridge reduces congestion and improves safety for the 22,000 vehicles that travelled through the level crossing each day, with the boom gates down for around a third of the two-hour morning peak, delaying people travelling to and from the Princes and Monash freeways.
The project also includes new open space and the development of a new shared use path, which opened to the community today. The path runs from the new Berwick Station bus interchange at Enterprise Avenue, providing better walking and cycling links to nearby residential, health and education precincts.
The new Berwick Station bus interchange – which will double the number of bus bays and improve accessibility for passengers – is scheduled for completion later this year. The southern car park at the station remains closed, with some northern car parks also expected to be closed throughout February as construction ramps up in the area.
More than 37,000 trees, plants and shrubs will also be planted as part of the project, including oak trees to provide shade and wind protection.
The Clyde Road level crossing is the 12th to be removed along the Pakenham line, with 10 more to go to make it boom-gate free by 2025, paving the way for more services more often for commuters in Melbourne’s south east.
The Labor Government is getting rid of 85 level crossings across Melbourne by 2025, with 58 now gone for good.
