People travelling through a major Melbourne suburb are facing months of traffic chaos amid works to remove a hazardous level crossing.
Both road and train transportation will be restricted in the suburb of Sunbury, in Melbourne’s outer north, where the government is working to remove the Gap Rd level crossing.
The boomgates are estimated to be down for up to 26 per cent of the morning peak, causing a hazardous bottleneck for the suburb.
Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said crews would be working day and night over the next four months to finish the work.
“A project of this size and scale does come with some disruption and Gap Rd will be closed for up to four months during the construction phase,” Ms Allan said.
The project is part of the Sunbury Line Upgrade, which will prepare the line for bigger, more modern trains that will run when the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025.
Gap Rd will be closed to traffic between Evans and Horne streets from 30 May to late 2022 as crews remove the boom gates and build the new rail bridge and road underpass.
About 19,000 vehicles pass through the crossing each day, which is expected to rise to 27,000 by 2026.
Currently around 24 trains run through the crossing, and there will be a month-long closure of the train service from June 3 to 29.
It also means regional services – Swan Hill and Echuca rail lines – will be impacted.
“This level crossing is located in the heart of Sunbury; it’s a real congestion point for the local community. There’s something like 19,000 motorists a day travel this level crossing and the boom gates are down for a quarter of every peak morning,” Ms Allan said.
“But more importantly, at the end of that period of time, the level crossing will be gone and it’ll be an easier, safer, quicker journey.”
Ms Allan on Monday also called on the federal government to provide the state with more funding for transport after a report from the Grattan Institute revealed the state was receiving less money than NSW and Queensland, despite having a larger population.
The report found Victoria had only received 18 per cent of transport funding over the past 15 years, despite holding 26 per cent of the country’s population.
Ms Allan said she wanted there to be a fairer distribution of money.
“We have always pushed strongly and assertively to any federal government that we should get our fair share,” she said.
“There’s heaps of work going on here in Victoria and yes, the federal government are a partner in some of these projects. But there is so much more that we are doing that they could support us.”
