Box Hill to Ringwood shared use path

The path between Linsley Street and Sagoe Lane was opened for use in May 2015.

The final proposed route from Sagoe Lane to Middleborough Road will:

• run along the northern side of the railway line, behind Box Hill High School.
• formalise the existing gravel track - an already well-travelled route.

At Middleborough Road, pedestrians and cyclists will use the existing underpass.

Next Steps

We are expecting to advertise a contract in early 2017 with construction on this section beginning in the middle of the year. We expect the Box Hill section of the path to be completed by the end of 2017.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our online survey. We received a total of 1,016 responses, and received a wealth of local knowledge from the community. 

We’re considering our options for this section and working with the City of Whitehorse and other stakeholders to finalise the design solution.  

Read our survey summary report [PDF 2.9Mb] 

The route will follow the south side of the railway line from Blackburn Station to Nunawading Station. It will:

• be delivered by the Level Crossing Removal project (External link)
• connect with Blackburn Station, Blackburn Library, Morton Park, St Thomas The Apostle School and Parish, Blackburn Lake Sanctuary, and Nunawading Christian College on the south side of the railway
• cross Blackburn Road via an underpass as well as traffic lights
• maintain North / South connections at Cottage Street and Oliver Avenue with new bridges over the rail cutting.

You can read more detail about the Blackburn section on the FAQs page.

Construction works for the Blackburn Level Crossing Removal, (including the shared use path), are progressing and expected to be complete by mid 2017.

 

The final route will cross Springvale Road, then travel along Walkers Road. It will:

• connect with the path from Blackburn on the southern side of Nunawading station (west building)
• cross Springvale Road. The community has provided feedback for a preference to avoid constructing the path along the footpath, in front of the Springvale Road shops. We are investigating the possibility of crossing directly between the two station buildings by installing new traffic signals.
• follow the footpath on the south side of Walkers Road to connect to the existing path along the railway line

Next Steps

We’ve finalised the design of this section and have engaged a contractor with construction on this section beginning in the middle of the year. We expect the Box Hill section of the path to be completed by the end of 2017.

Box Hill to Ringwood bike path aerial map - Walkers Road to Mitcham Station [PDF 18.5Mb]

The Mitcham section from Walkers Road, Nunawading to Mitcham Road, Mitcham was opened in July 2014. It was constructed as part of the Mitcham and Rooks Road Level Crossing Removals project.

The completed off-road path (made possible through initiatives driven by the project team) avoids over 800m of on-road path along Station Street.

The final proposed alignment will follow the railway line from Mitcham Road to Heatherdale Station car park on Molan Street and on to EastLink. It will:

• be delivered by the Level Crossing Removal project
• follow Brunswick Road in front of community buildings using a widened footpath
• cross Brunswick Park (at the request of Council) and follow the railway line rather than going through the park 
• travel on a new bridge over Cochrane Street, provided due to steep grades on Brunswick Road and poor sight distance to vehicles on Cochrane Street

• continue on the south side of the railway line from Cochrane Street to Purches Street
• cross from south to north of the railway line using a new bridge between Purches Street and Witt Street
• follow the north side of the railway line to Heatherdale Road, providing a connection for residents on the north side and requiring less vegetation removal than a path on the south side
• cross Heatherdale Road and the railway line at new pedestrian/cyclist lights in front of Heatherdale Station (an underpass can’t be built due to limited available space and the existing topography which will result in excessively long ramps)
• follow the south side of the railway line to the station parking under the transmission towers and connect to Molan Street
• widen the southern footpath on Molan Street to EastLink.

We’ve listened to the community’s feedback and are pleased to say we’ve been able to change the final alignment of the path along Albert Street.

Thanks to the Heatherdale Level Crossing Removal Project, the rail signalling infrastructure in the rail reserve has been removed. This means we can shift the alignment of the path to the south side of the rail reserve where we can construct an off-road path and keep most of the mature trees. This wasn’t previously possible.

What you told us 

In December 2016 we proposed an on-road option which involved the conversion of Albert Street to a one-way street and the removal of parking along the street.

We received mixed feedback on this including concern over inconvenience to residents, increased congestion on Wantirna Road and support for saving trees and reducing rat running traffic.

Since this time we’ve continued to look at available options for this section and have changed the design to reflect some of the feedback we’ve received, leading us to this final and safer path alignment.

We recently returned to the community in mid-May to gather more feedback through our online survey, on a revised alignment of the shared use path along Albert Street. 

Thank you to everyone who participated, we're currently reviewing your feedback and finalising the final designs.

Where the Shared Use Path will run

We consider this to be the best available option with the key factors in determining the alignment being safety, accessibility for residents and keeping the mature trees. This  alignment meets our core objectives to provide a safe off-road path for the community to enjoy. 

 

Select this link or the image to view a larger version of the proposed path option map

What we’re doing

This option also allows us to keep Albert Street as a two-way street as well as keep parking. We’ll  install new traffic lights on New Street to provide the community with a safe crossing.

Minor tree and vegetation removal will still be required for this option; however we’ve worked with Maroondah Council and arborists to keep most of the significant, mature and healthy trees. We’ll also include some gardening and re-landscaping along Albert Street as part of the project.

What happens next? 

We’ve worked closely with stakeholders and residents to adjust the designs to get the right outcome for the community, and we’re keen to begin construction on this section so that we can open the path by the end of 2017. Once we’ve finalised a design we’ll talk to Molan Street and Albert Street tenants and owners to discuss individual construction impacts. 

You can read more detail about the Ringwood section on the FAQs page.