The project to remove level crossings at Glen Huntly and Neerim Roads in Glen Huntly has closed local shared paths.
The Royal Avenue shared path and the short local connection along the rail track from Neerim Road to Lord Street are both impacted.
The Royal Avenue facility is closed until mid 2023 and the route to Lord Street closed until April next year.
Detours with signage and traffic are proposed for road users and pedestrians for the various traffic interruptions.
Riders will appreciate that 23 of Royal Avenue’s iconic Canary Island date palms are being temporarily relocated during this time to protect them from construction activities.
The project involves the two level-crossings are being removed by lowering the rail line into a trench and building a new Glenhuntly Station.
The trench is long, wide and curved in wet soil and will be a major build.
For the next two months contractors will start building supports for piling rigs on both sides of the rail corridor in Glen Huntly, stabilising the ground before piles are sunk into the earth.
The first step of piling is the construction of hardstands to support the piling rigs. Starting at the end of Glenhuntly Station and continuing along the Royal Avenue side of the track, works will include excavating and laying crushed rock between the rail corridor and the shared use path.
The hardstand construction will then move to the Dorothy Avenue side of the corridor.
From 30 August to late January 2023 two rigs will be on site to carry out piling works in the area closest to Glenhuntly Station and continue along the eastern side of the corridor adjacent to Royal Avenue
Excavating the rail trench will start in mid 2023.
Although express trains are now cancelled along the line, trains are still running.
There will be a shutdown of the rail line for four months at some stage during 2023.
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