Feature of the Month

MIDDLEBOROUGH ROAD/RAIL SEPARATION ALLIANCE

The Middleborough Road Rail Separation required an exceptional level of innovation, dedication and teamwork. In a landmark project, the Middleborough Road level crossing in the Melbourne suburb of Box Hill was eliminated by lowering the railway line by six metres and slightly raising Middleborough Road to bridge over the tracks. VicRoads believes delivering the project under a typical design and construct model would have taken 18 months.

However, under an alliance format, the project, which involved excavating 73,000 cubic metres of fill to lower a railway line by up to six metres and constructing a four lane road bridge, was completed in just 27 days – eight days ahead of schedule. Middleborough Road now bridges across the railway line, improving traffic flow, safety, noise and pollution.

In its previous state, motorists and pedestrians experienced significant delays on Middleborough Road as they waited for trains at the level crossing. Traffic monitoring indicated that 30,000 vehicles and 250 trains passed through the intersection on a daily basis, causing significant road congestion.

As part of the project, Laburnum Station was demolished and reconstructed with wider platforms and improved ramps to ensure Disability Discrimination Act compliance. Provisions were also made for a future third track but this third track was not constructed as part of the project.

A new rail bridge at Laburnum Street was also built to remove a tight bend in the road. The alliance was formalised in early October, 2006, and major construction was carried out over four weeks of intensive works from January 1-28, 2007.

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Click here to read the full article: Middleborough Road-Rail Separation Alliance

This article was developed and produced for The Alliancing Association of Australasia Limited by Stephen Cook. July 2008