On-Site Solutions for Laing O’Rourke and the South East Program Alliance

Project Snapshot

Laing O’Rourke as part of the South East Program Alliance is working on the Level Crossing Removal Project in Lilydale. This infrastructure overhaul aims to improve safety, decrease congestion and make Melbourne’s suburbs easier to get around.

At the end of December 2019, the alliance between Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs and Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) was awarded a $496 million contract to undertake the removal of the level crossings.

Work is beginning to ramp up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne as the South East Program Alliance team works to remove Lilydale level crossing and replace it with an overhead train bridge. A new multi-deck car park will also be built at Mooroolbark Station, which will contribute to doubling car parking to 900 spaces, making it easier for commuters to find a park.

The new station and the bus interchange will be built on the other side of the Maroondah Highway to better integrate with the town centre, while the existing Lilydale Station’s heritage value will be protected for a range of future uses.

The Lilydale level crossing will be fully removed by 2022.

The Challenges

The level crossings at Lilydale and nearby Mooroolbark are being removed by building rail bridges over the roads. This brings with it a set of complicated traffic management challenges that are being addressed by the SEPA team.

With such a significant amount of traffic passing through the area, the site team needed to ensure that safety was a priority for both motorists and the workers on site.

Speed limits have been reduced and traffic controllers are on site. In addition, the team has engaged Jaybro to supply a range of safety and traffic control equipment to keep traffic flowing smoothly throughout the construction period.

Jaybro’s Solution

Jaybro’s Melbourne team supplied a range of barriers, fencing and traffic control equipment to this project. This included a quantity of Trafix 2000 Water Filled Barriers and Fortress temporary fencing panels to help screen the site and make it safe for the public.

The Trafix 2000 barriers are made from strong UV-protected polyethylene which gives added durability in harsh environments. Simple and lightweight to install when empty, each module weighs just 20kg before filling. After installation and once filled with water, each barrier weighs 327kg, providing a significantly stable and secure barricade.

It is ideal for use in pedestrian delineation, cordoning off no-go zones, drop-offs and pits on work sites.

More than 53,000 vehicles travel through these level crossings each day where the boom gates can be down for up to a quarter of the morning peak.

When combined with the tough and stable Fortress temporary fencing panels, the site team has been able to successfully block off any hazardous areas around the worksite.

Anti Gawk Screens and LoRo Barriers were also supplied, along with crowd control barriers to delineate pedestrian walkways on site.

Plus, the DB80 Concrete Barriers with Anti Gawk Screens and SLED End Treatments provide strong breakthrough protection for cars travelling up to 80km/hr. These VicRoads approved concrete barriers are MASH tested to TL-3 and are the jersey barrier of choice for fast installation and reliable crash protection.

Versikerb Traffic Separators are also in use at the Lilydale site, ensuring that altered lanes are clearly visible to drivers. These rugged rubber and plastic modular units enable workers to lay down the rubber flat pieces and insert the chevron panels wherever extra safety is required around work sites.