Level Crossing Removal Project

Dangerous and congested are two words to describe the crossing between Skye and Overton Roads within the suburb Frankston. It’s a high traffic railway crossing with limited workspace for construction. The purpose of their endeavour is to improve safety, limit congestion while also maintaining the environment by constructing a rail over the road.

Problem

The challenge was to do works on the railway while maintaining a strict schedule for the train timetable and allowing the constant flow of traffic in a compact space.

Key challenges that Level Crossing Victoria faced were:

1. Working in a congested, high traffic area

2. Working in a narrow constricted space for construction

3. Remediation

The solution to the problem was to create a temporary access track to the site using Dura-Base mats. Allowing access for the drills, piling pads and cement mixers to create a foundation for the over the railroad. Stabilising the ground while also creating a seamless path for the heavy machinery. By doing so, the piling pads were able to be used over multiple sites, reducing the number of trailers needed on site and reducing the amount of needed crush rock from 850mm to 350mm. Thereby, decreasing the time needed to shut down the road for the residing members of Frankston.

Residents on Frankston could breathe easier as the boom gates were removed and the traffic is flowing freely. Currently, the Level Crossing Removal Authority is working tirelessly to remove all boom gates within Victoria. Removing the dangerous crossing has impacted the 10,000 people who drive through every day at Frankston. JWA’s part in the project was a success as the matting was used as a remedy for the constricted area while also not affecting the nearby environmentally sensitive wetlands.