Motorists face delays, up to five years, on busy Melbourne streets

MOTORISTS are being told to avoid Grattan St for five years while those on St Kilda Rd will face delays for up to four years while major Metro Tunnel works get underway.

MOTORISTS will face delays for up to five years on two Melbourne CBD streets once major Metro Tunnel works start within the next month.

About 300m of Grattan St will be closed for up to five years while work ramps up on Parkville Station.

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Thousands of drivers in Melbourne’s southeast will face a congestion nightmare when the construction of Anzac Station turns the busy road into a bottleneck for up to four years.

Traffic on St Kilda Rd will be reduced to one lane between Toorak Road West and Dorcas St.

Motorists are being urged to avoid both areas during the works with delays up to 15 minutes.

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web St Kilda Road work

Acting Public Transport Minister Luke Donnellan said the work would be disruptive but necessary.

“We encourage motorists to plan ahead and allow extra travel time as we get on with the new stations, Metro Tunnel and turn-up-and-go trains for Melbourne,” he said.

“The Metro Tunnel will give Melbourne the world class public transport system it deserves — allowing for more trains, more often for passengers in the suburbs and regions all across Victoria.”

St Kilda Rd will close to one lane each way by the end of February and become a congestion nightmare for commuters. Picture: Josie Hayden

Reducing St Kilda Rd to one lane each way is expected to bring widespread delays to the city’s transport network, with the arterial carrying 3000 cars and 8000 tram passengers in peak hour.

Traffic snarls are also set to increase on alternative routes with roads such as Punt Rd, Kings Way and Canterbury Rd to bear the brunt of drivers avoiding the area.

The works on St Kilda Rd. Picture: Josie Hayden

Work will begin soon to adjust tram tracks on St Kilda Rd, believed to be the world’s busiest tram corridor, to keep services operating over the next four years.

The Andrews Government is currently rolling out $8 million of enhancements around the area and will use 29 Bluetooth monitors and 32 CCTV cameras to provide real-time traffic updates.

In total, $25 million is being spent to prevent Melbourne’s traffic from grinding to a halt during the life of the multibillion-dollar project.

The completed tunnel is due to open in 2026.

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