A 22-day road closure is planned in July to complete the level crossing removal works project at South Gippsland Highway in Dandenong South.
The new road bridge over rail is “months ahead of schedule” and expected to open in August, according to the Level Crossing Removal Authority.
The project also includes a new intersection at Princes and South Gippsland highways, and a shared-use path between Princes Highway and Dandenong South Trail.
The level-crossing removal will cut travel delays and improve safety for 31,000 drivers a day on the busy freight route. Previously, boom gates were down for about a third of the morning peak.
It also removes two black spots – the intersection and the level crossing.
The intersection has been the site of a fatal crash and four others resulting in serious injury in the past 10 years.
At the level crossing, there were four crashes and more than 40 near misses between 2005 and 2015.
More trains can potentially run on the Pakenham line as a result of the project.
Level crossing removals, the Metro Tunnel and bigger trains are hoped to enable 121,000 extra peak-time passengers a week on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
Meanwhile, works are expected to start this year on the Pound Road West and Remington Drive intersection upgrade, including a road bridge over rail.
The Frankston-Dandenong Road overpass will also be strengthened and refurbished.
The South Gippsland Highway closure is scheduled for Friday 16 July to Friday 6 August. Detours will be in place via Frankston-Dandenong Road and Dandenong Bypass.
