Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Clyde Road, Berwick, level crossing removal

Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (12:31): Yesterday I was very proud to attend the opening of the Clyde Road, Berwick, underpass after major works there removed the boom gates for good. In fact this marked the 58th dangerous level crossing to go in Victoria, the 12th on the Pakenham line. Clyde Road is now open and providing better traffic flow than ever before for the 22 000 vehicles that use it daily. Locals are now getting where they need to go quicker and more safely.

Just three weeks ago I was there to witness the removal of the boom gates, which used to cause significant delays. It was some 30 to 40 per cent of peak times that those gates were down, but now we have an underpass which was tunnelled in that short period of time—if you think about it, an extraordinary feat of engineering that many people will simply take for granted as they drive to work, home or around town. I wish to pass on my thanks to the hardworking level crossing removal team who worked around the clock to remove the boom gates, finish excavating the road underpass and install new track, overhead wiring and signals on the rail bridge. I would also like to thank the members of the Berwick and extended Narre Warren South community and all the traders, pedestrians and drivers for their patience during these very important works. I appreciate how they have adapted to the inconveniences.