Residents close to Davey St roadworks experience lights, noise and heavy vehicle traffic through night

Constant noise, lights and heavy vehicles are plaguing the residents close to one of Hobart’s new major roadworks. One local describes what it is like to live next door to the project.

Roadworks continue on the Southern Outlet. Picture: Caroline Tan

Fed-up South Hobart residents say they have been left in the dark about nightworks on the Southern Outlet upgrade project, blaming a lack of government consultation for compounding their distress over noise and traffic congestion.

One irate homeowner told the Mercury they had only received two letters from the Department of State Growth during the four-month project, while another reported only being posted one.

The concerned local said the project had resulted in significant traffic detours for the sleepy suburb, and that the changes had not been adequately communicated by the government.

The state government says work on the fifth lane of the Southern Outlet is going well.

“Recently, all traffic between Davey St and Macquarie St has been rerouted through Elboden St between 6.30pm and 6.30am including all of the heavy vehicle traffic required for the roadworks,” the resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

“The issue isn’t just the noise and lights. It’s that the street wasn’t made for this kind of heavy traffic.

“In fact you can’t usually turn right onto Elboden St while driving up Davey St.

“The website has no current information, and there’s been no community notices in the newspaper or other kinds of media.”

The state government is spending $200m to install a fifth transit lane on the Southern Outlet.

A department spokesperson said the Transit Lane Connector was located in an area with high traffic volumes and nearby residents, and that the project team had worked closely with the designer and contractor to reduce impacts.

The spokesperson said the project work had occurred mainly at night to avoid significant traffic impacts, with noisier work done during the day to reduce effects on residents.

The department claimed it had been in contact with residents throughout the duration of the project, with that communication ongoing.

The state government says work on the fifth lane of the Southern Outlet is going well.

“Several notification letters and postcards have been delivered by hand or through post at the outset and throughout the project, to homes within 100-metres of the work site,” the spokesperson said.

“We have provided direct contact information to residents who are encouraged to reach out if they have any questions or concerns, and the project team has had many phone calls, emails and face-to-face interactions with residents.

“Pleasingly, the department has had few complaints throughout the duration of the project, and when they have been received, we work to resolve them as best we can.

“This week’s night-time detours were communicated via a media release and in the weekly Roadworks Report email newsletter.

“Due to oversight, this most recent information was unfortunately not initially added to the Transport website. However, this has now been amended.

“There have been different detours throughout the project at night and conditions change throughout the night.

“We appreciate the patience and understanding of local residents and the broader community while we complete this important project.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Kerry Vincent, said the construction of the Southern Outlet Transit Lane connector between Davey and Macquarie Streets, which started last August, would soon be completed.

“Work to provide an additional lane through this known bottleneck is expected to be completed by April 2025,” Minister Vincent said.

“The next stage is rock-face protection work on the Southern Outlet prior to commencing construction of the transit lane, and this is scheduled for tender in coming months.”

Originally published as Residents close to Davey St roadworks experience lights, noise and heavy vehicle traffic through night