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Construction Blitz To Remove Buckley Street Level Crossing

05 June 2018

Major construction work is set to get underway to make the dangerous and congested level crossing on Essendon’s Buckley Street a thing of the past.

Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan said works to remove one of Melbourne’s worst level crossings will improve safety and reduce travel time for local residents.

Construction crews will work around the clock to build the foundations and retaining walls for the new road underpass that will safely separate cars and trains, as well as relocating underground utilities.

To enable these works, Buckley Street will be closed between Mt Alexander Road and Violet Street from 8-11 June, with detours in place to allow for local traffic.

From 8-10 June and 21-27 June, buses will replace trains between North Melbourne and Broadmeadows, while pedestrian access will be maintained to local businesses along Rose and Buckley Streets.

Buckley Street will also be closed between Mt Alexander Road and Violet Street from 21 June to 6 July, with detours to keep local drivers moving.

These works are vital given the boom gates at the Buckley Street level crossing are down for about 78 minutes during the morning peak – causing headaches for the 11,000 drivers that use it each day.

Lowering the road beneath the railway line will benefit both locals and passengers on the Craigieburn line, better connecting bus and train services and taking cars off local roads.

New footpaths will get local students, pedestrians and cyclists to and from Essendon Station, boosting safety and removing the need to cross busy traffic on Buckley Street.

The boom gates at Buckley Street will be removed by the end of the year. Road and public transport users are urged to plan ahead and allow more time for their journey by visiting bigbuild.vic.gov.au.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan

“We’re not wasting a minute getting rid of this relic of the past – making this local community safer and providing better access to local businesses and schools.”

“We thank the local community for their patience while we get on with these vital works – the result will be worth it.”

Quote attributable to Member for Essendon Danny Pearson

“Removing this level crossing will get people where they need to go safer and sooner by taking cars off local streets and running more trains.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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