The Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project aims to remove 110 dangerous and congested level crossings by 2030. Once a congested road intersection in Dandenong South, the conversion of the South Gippsland Highway into an elevated road bridge marked the project’s 47th successful level crossing removal.
With over 31,000 cars travelling through the level crossing every day, its removal was vital for improving safety and traffic flow, achieving safer traffic connections while also improving road travel times in one of Australia’s busiest manufacturing regions.
Following the successful connection of the new road bridge to South Gippsland Highway and Princes Highway, the next phase of the project involved the opening of 8000m2 of green space at the former intersection of the two highways. The new open space was designed with extensive landscaping, new public seating, lighting and the establishment of a new shared use path for pedestrians and cyclists, enabling better access to local businesses.
Anston (then SVC Urban) was contracted to supply precast concrete seating to furnish the new open space. Produced in a custom-made charcoal aggregate mix, the modular seating design adds elongated, meandering benches alongside the new footpath, providing an inhabitable divider between the path and the new densely planted landscape.