Safety and speed helped by level moves in Melbourne
The Victorian Government is claiming a win for community and driver safety, job creation and a cut to congestion with a plan worth over $450 million.
The State Government has announced it will spend $457 million to remove three of Melbourne’s most dangerous level crossings.
It hopes that 1,000 jobs will be created by the project, which should start in 2015 and be completed by 2017.
One of the cross-sections between the city’s rail and road network ha claimed the lives of 16 people over the years, and local residents are glad to see the time-consuming and sometimes deadly crossings improved.
Fixing the many level crossings which hinder traffic progress throughout the city has been a key pledge for both major political parties ahead of this year’s election.
The Labor opposition says it would remove 50 level crossings if it won the election this November, while the LNP government says it has already dealt with or is planning to tackle 23 level crossings.
Most of the improvements will involve the construction of pedestrian crossings and bridges to reduce the need to cross tracks directly.