By Gabriella Payne Thousands of residents in Melbourne’s south eastern suburbs can expect faster and safer commuter journeys in the not-too-distant future, as the Victorian government is set to award a contract to remove the Hallam Road level crossing and build a new, upgraded Hallam station. Each morning, the boom gates at the hazardous Hallam Road level crossing are down for almost a third of the two-hour morning peak period, delaying approximately 20,000 vehicles each day. On top of that, there have been 14 near-miss collisions at the crossing over the past 10 years. The proposed changes will see a rail bridge built in place of the level crossing, allowing traffic to continue to flow under the busy train line, improving safety and congestion for both vehicles and pedestrians.