Denny Ave Level Crossing Removal

Procurement will begin in mid-2019, and the contractor will be appointed late-2019. Works on site will begin in late-2019.

The project will only require the Armadale Line (south of Kelmscott Station) to temporarily close a handful of times. The closures will likely occur on weekends, and the community will be made aware well ahead of time to ensure alternative plans can be made. Replacement buses will be available. Closures will not take place when major events are on.

The level crossing at Denny Avenue will remain open at all times during construction. Only when the underpass is fully operational will the level crossing close.

Raising or lowering the railway at Denny Avenue would not be possible without major changes to or rebuilding of Kelmscott Station. Similarly a road over or under Denny Avenue solution would not be possible without affecting local business access and local road access in the area. Based on these major impacts to the community this a solution at Denny Avenue would not provide good community outcomes.

A number of other potential locations to cross the rail were assessed with key stakeholders, including the City of Armadale. The other locations would not encourage walking/cycling or promote Kelmscott town centre revitalisation. The other solutions would also mean significant disruptions to Denny Avenue during construction, and therefore cause major disruptions to the community’s main east-west road connection.

The size of the road component of this project means that there will be impacts to road users. During construction, the Public Transport Authority will aim to minimise road closures and their impacts to road users, however they will be unavoidable. A Traffic Management Plan will be developed by the contractor which identifies impacted roads and the changes required during construction. More information will be known when the contractor is on board, and the community will be informed when timing and affected roads are confirmed.

 

The proposed design is aimed at providing a safe alternative to crossing the rail and improving traffic flow throughout the town centre. This is being achieved through road widenings and rerouting the main traffic flow through the new underpass. The inclusion of the signalised intersections will ensure traffic is managed safely. The new traffic lights will be phased to ensure good traffic flow and reduce the congestion currently being experienced around the Denny Avenue level crossing.

 

Yes, Denny Avenue will become a calmer and narrower road connecting to Streich Avenue, but it will not be possible to cross the railway from Denny Avenue.

No. Pedestrians will not be able to cross the railway at Denny Avenue.  Pedestrian access will be provided at the new Davis Road underpass, and at Kelmscott Station.

Full construction impacts will be known when the contractor is appointed and detailed design has been confirmed. Early staging plans show the Davis Road solution can largely be built with minimal impact to Denny Avenue during construction. There will be impacts to Streich Avenue and Railway Avenue during construction which will be managed to ensure they are kept to a minimum.

The final design for road underpass will be developed by the appointed contractors. More information will be provided to the community as this work progresses.

Noise modelling will be completed as the design progresses to identify if any measures are needed to reduce noise from the rail operations. With the removal of the warnings sounds at Denny Avenue level crossing, overall noise is expected to be less.

The final road design is subject to detailed design, but the space can accommodate up to four lanes.

The Public Transport Authority will expand its carpark on Railway Avenue by approximately 40 new bays. The current car parks at Kelmscott Station are not at capacity.

The project will improve overall road safety and traffic flow around Kelmscott and the town centre, and provide improved walking and cycling connections including a new principal-shared path along Railway Avenue. The project is also an opportunity to generally improve amenity in the public space around the railway including refurbishment of the Station Master’s House, establishing a public space plaza, and facilitation of the development of a mixed-use development site.

Pedestrians and traffic interacting with trains is a key risk on the rail network, the Public Transport Authority is working towards removing level crossings across the train network, not introducing or re-opening more. This is a national and global trend due to ongoing significant near-misses and the risk of death. As Kelmscott Station and the surrounding precinct is an established area, there will not be the re-establishment of any previous level crossings in the area.

Where possible, the Public Transport Authority will close level crossings to improve safety and ease congestion. Despite being less than 200m long, Denny Avenue was identified in the RAC’s Risky Roads survey as the most dangerous road in Perth for two consecutive years. METRONET will continue to review how to best close other level crossings on the network.