Inland Rail will commence early works for local rail crossings including Broadford, Seymour, Wandong, and Tallarook.
There is not enough clearance under the Broadford-Wandong Road bridge for double stacked freight trains, and as a result, Inland Rail is progressing designs to remove the bridge and install a higher bridge to the north of the existing structure.
The new bridge will provide safer pedestrian access with a shared user path on the south side of the bridge. The bridge intersections at the Broadford-Wandong Road and the Epping-Kilmore Road will need to be raised to tie into a newer and higher bridge.
The design follows community consultation that revealed amenity, connectivity, and safety were key issues within Wandong and that the new bridge should respect the look, feel, and history of the town.
Based on the feedback, the design will incorporate a roundabout at the Rail Street intersection to improve safety and minimise the impact to the community, the planting of pine oak trees, and provide additional community open space connecting to Pickett Walk.
Access to the existing bridge will be maintained during the construction of the new bridge to minimise impacts on traffic. In Broadford, the Hamilton Street, Marchbanks Road, and Short Street bridges will be replaced, and the tracks will be lowered.
Connectivity will be improved with shared user paths and pedestrian access at Short Street and Hamilton Street, and the new Marchbanks Road Bridge will have wider lanes.
In Tallarook and Seymour, the tracks will be lowered under the Hume Freeway by up to two metres. The lowering works will be completed on both approaches to the freeway bridges to provide a gradual decline. Construction is expected to commence in 2025.
