Highway closed for bridge works

The level crossing removal project at South Gippsland Highway, Dandenong South.

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South Gippsland Highway will be closed for 22 days as part of the finishing touches of a level-crossing removal project at Dandenong South.

During the three-week “blitz”, construction crews will connect a new road bridge and the Princes Highway intersection.

South Gippsland Highway will be closed between Dandenong Bypass and Princes Highway from 9pm Friday 16 July to 5am Friday 6 August.

Detours will direct traffic via Dandenong Bypass and Frankston-Dandenong Road.

Metropolitan Roads Program Alliance Project Director Andrew Pepplinkhouse said the road closure was a necessary inconvenience.

“Once these works are complete the new road bridge will make the level crossing a thing of the past, easing congestion for road users and providing safer cycling and pedestrian links through the area and thousands of new trees and shrubs.”

The level crossing removal will free up the busy freight route used by 31,000 cars and trucks a day.

The intersection had been the site of one fatal crash and four crashes resulting in serious injury in the past 10 years.

There were 40 near misses between 2005 and 2015.

Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams said the level crossing removal, Metro Tunnel Project and Cranbourne line upgrade would enable an extra 121,000 rail commuters a week.