Walk this way

By Alison Noonan
LYNBROOK Estate residents are now connected to the rest of the community following yesterday’s official opening of the $1.2 million Lynbrook Estate pedestrian underpass.
The long-awaited underpass will provide improved public safety and increased access to nearby facilities and services.
Casey mayor Kevin Bradford applauded councillors and residents for their strong campaign in the development of the vital railway infrastructure, and was pleased that locals had a safe passage from Lynbrook Estate to Fig Tree Hill Estate.
“The underpass provides the community with an excellent ramped, accessible pathway underneath the railway line to easily access the Lynbrook Primary School and recreation reserves.
“It was designed to enhance public safety and also to fit into the preliminary design for the proposed Lynbrook railway station, which has long been promised to serve this area as part of upgraded facilities on the Cranbourne line, along with the future Cranbourne East railway station,” he said.
Cr Bradford said council was now looking forward to securing funding for a road level-crossing for the area.
He said the level-crossing project had been approved, in principle, by the Minister for Transport, Peter Batchelor, and claimed VicTrack was in the process of assisting with the safety-approvals process.
“The City of Casey is looking forward to the completion of the approvals process and the construction of the road level-crossing at Lynbrook, which will mean the community can not only walk to facilities, but can drive in inclement weather or to undertake their shopping trips at the supermarket in the future commercial centre,” Cr Bradford said.
Mr Batchelor said it was important to invest in critical infrastructure now in one of the state’s fastest growing areas.
“This project is an example of the City of Casey and Victorian Government’s commitment to strengthening communities through access to local facilities, as well as providing safe public transport crossings for pedestrians,” he said. The four-metre-wide and 12.4-metre-long underpass also includes extra lighting for 24-hour visibility and gently sloping reduced-slip ramps with handrails to allow better access for people with a disability or impaired vision.