The Lydiard Street rail crossing in Ballarat will be upgraded and reopened following detailed development design that will ensure the safety and reliability of the crossing.
The Victorian Budget 2021/2022 will invest $10.5 million to reopen the Lydiard Street level crossing safely, with a half-boom barrier crossing and upgraded signaling system.
While a final design for the upgraded crossing is being developed, work is already underway for a temporary solution to reopen Lydiard Street that will involve half boom barriers being connected to the older manual signaling system.
This project will not only reopen the road - once complete, it will permanently improve the crossing with the existing signaling system replaced with new modern technology. This upgrade will make travelling this stretch of road easier and safer for everyone by automating the opening and closing of the crossing and reducing the amount of time the crossing is closed to traffic.
Once the final design for the crossing has been completed and approved, it will be shared with the community ahead of works getting underway in the second half of 2021.
The upgrade will pay tribute to the rich history of Ballarat, with V/Line, the Department of Transport and a specialist heritage advisor working closely with Heritage Victoria on final design for the crossing.
Reopening the crossing to traffic will ensure that locals and visitors alike can once again use Lydiard Street - one of Ballarat's most important north-south connections - to access local businesses, jobs, education, sports and social events.
These upgrades are the outcome of a wide range of specialist assessments and investigations following an incident involving the crossing in May 2020.
As stated by Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll
"We know that the closure of this crossing has been incredibly frustrating and the project team will now work as hard as they can to get Lydiard Street open quickly and safely."
"These upgrades will ensure that the crossing is in line with modern safety standards, while still recognising the heritage that is intrinsic to Ballarat."
As stated by Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison
"We thank the community for its patience while we worked towards a safe solution for the Lydiard Street crossing."
"With detailed plans now in place, we will continue to move forward and get Lydiard Street open as soon as possible."
