Authorised by the Victorian Government, 80 Collins Street, Melbourne.

What is happening on the Hopkins Street bridge?

To enable the Hopkins Street bridge to be widened so that new Regional Rail Link tracks can be built underneath, Hopkins Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction with reduced speed limits for approximately nine months.

During construction, Shelley and Cowper streets will also be closed at their intersections with Hopkins Street.

A number of overnight bridge closures will be required during this time.

Significant traffic delays are expected in the area and motorists not travelling locally will be advised to seek alternative routes.

Why does traffic need to be reduced to two lanes?

The work on the bridge will be carried out in two stages. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on the south side of the bridge to enable construction to occur on the north side of the bridge. When this is complete, traffic will be moved to the north side of the bridge so that the new southern section can be built.

When will the bridge be closed?

A number of overnight bridge closures will be required during this time to enable work to be carried out that cannot be done while traffic is running. This includes the installation of barriers to create a construction area, the installation of bridge panels and work on the road itself.

Closures are currently planned approximately once per month between February and November this year. A series of overnight closures are planned in the middle of this year to carry out work at the intersection of Hopkins and Moore streets.

Will delays on the bridge cause increased traffic on other local roads?

The Footscray – Deer Park project team will be encouraging motorists not travelling locally to seek alternative routes. Trucks will be encouraged to use the freeway network and truck curfews in the area will continue to be enforced while this work is carried out. The project team will work closely with VicRoads and Maribyrnong City Council to monitor the impact on local roads.

Why do Shelley and Cowper streets need to be closed during construction?

Barriers will be used to create safe construction areas on the bridge. This will restrict access to Shelley Street and Cowper Street at Hopkins Street at various times during construction. To ensure the safety of drivers and our workforce, these intersections will remain closed until construction work is completed.

Hopkins Street bridge work The road bridge over the railway at Hopkins Street in Footscray is being widened to the west so that new Regional Rail Link tracks can be constructed underneath.

Hopkins Street in Footscray will be reduced to one lane in each direction with a reduced speed limit while this work is carried out and a number of overnight bridge closures will be required.

Regional Rail Link will create capacity equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road during the peak periods. The project will encourage public transport use by allowing for more trains, more reliably, more often.

Footscray – Deer Park

Will there be any permanent changes to local roads?

To improve safety for drivers, there will be permanent changes to access Shelley Street and Cowper Street when construction is complete.

Shelley Street will become a one-way street with access from Hopkins Street only. Access to Cowper Street will also change, with the right-hand turn from Hopkins Street to be permanently removed. Vehicles will still be able to turn left in and left out of Cowper Street at the Hopkins Street intersection.

There will also be changes to the intersection of Hopkins Street, Moore Street and Irving Street to improve safety.

Will there be construction vehicles using local streets?

Our workforce will be based at the site compound now established near Fordham Reserve (off Shelley Street).

Construction vehicles are expected to access the work site from Hopkins Street. When work is carried out on the south side of the bridge, some construction vehicles are expected to use Cowper Street.

How long will it take to complete these works?

The work on the Hopkins Street bridge is expected to take approximately nine months, however work in the area (including work at Footscray railway station and in the railway corridor) will continue until late 2014.

Will there be night work?

Our normal hours of work will be between 7 am and 6 pm Monday to Saturday, however due to the complex nature of the project some construction activities do need to be carried out at night and on Sundays to minimise disruption to train services, major roads and other critical services.

Overnight bridge closures are currently planned approximately once per month from February to November this year. We will notify local businesses and residents when we are planning disruptive activities outside our normal working hours.

I live very close to the bridge and I’m worried about the impacts on my house from vibration. How do you manage this?

Residents and businesses whose properties are within 50 metres of our work sites have been invited to participate in pre-construction property condition surveys.

You may feel some vibration in your home if you live near a work site. If you do feel vibration in your home and you think the vibration is due to construction activities you should call our Community Information Line on 1800 107 925 and ask to speak to a member of the Footscray – Deer Park project team. We will then be able to determine if vibration monitoring needs to be undertaken.

What are you doing to minimise the impact of night work on surrounding residents?

When work needs to take place at night, we manage disruption to the community wherever possible by:

• Providing advance notification so that you can choose to make alternative arrangements.

• Programming noisy works during the early part of the evening (where possible).

• Selecting the quietest machinery and construction method.

• Using directional lighting pointed towards the work area only.

• Regularly checking machinery for noise levels and monitoring those noise levels.

• Providing alternative accommodation for disruptive work over a prolonged period.

For more information

Please phone our Community Information Line on 1800 107 925 and ask to speak to a member of the Footscray – Deer Park project team or contact us via info@rrlfdp.com.au. You can also request to receive updates about our work via this address.

If you require Regional Rail Link information in another language, please call us on 9280 0775 to speak to an interpreter.

Updated January 2013