Why Southbank river walk upgrade will be sidelined
Work on making busy Southbank Promenade safer for pedestrians was due to start soon, but has been pushed back to 2021. This is why.
VIC News
Don't miss out on the headlines from VIC News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A major upgrade of a riverside walkway will be delayed by a year as the City of Melbourne struggles to complete another project nearby.
Work on improving Southbank Promenade was due to start soon, but has been pushed back to 2021.
The promenade, which is shared with cyclists, is to be redesigned with landscape features to slow down bikes and make it safer for pedestrians.
The target area is a 300m section between Princes Bridge and Evan Walker Pedestrian Bridge.
But the city council will prioritise a separate redevelopment of Southbank Blvd, and monitor possible changes at the Southgate dining and retail complex that fronts the promenade.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the council wanted to manage disruption as the city was experiencing an unprecedented level of construction.
“We understand there are a number of upcoming projects that could impact works on Southbank Promenade, so it’s sensible to allow these works to be completed first to minimise disruption and reduce unnecessary expense,” she said.
“The Southbank Blvd upgrade includes bicycle lanes that should ease congestion along Southbank Promenade and improve safety for pedestrians.
“Currently the majority of people riding bikes along the Yarra Trail use Southbank Promenade to travel from east to west of the city, which can result in conflicts between people cycling and walking,”
The Southbank Blvd project, which involves creating 2.5ha of new public open space, has been delayed for several months amid bickering between agencies and problems with landscaping supplies.
The council’s city design director, Professor Rob Adams, reportedly said the council had been ambitious about the project from the start, but had faced various “niggling” issues.
“Unfortunately, VicRoads is in a bit of a mess, CitiPower is unreliable. We hit problems dealing with tram infrastructure,” he told Southbank News. “Part of the problem has also been all the private development happening on our doorstep.”
The upgrade will deliver 1.1km of bike lanes linking Swan St Bridge to Queensbridge Square along Southbank Blvd and Linlithgow and Alexandra avenues.
Separated bike lanes have opened along Linlithgow Ave and Southbank Blvd, and the remaining bike paths are expected to open by late 2020.
The relocation of the sculpture Dervish from Southbank Promenade to the Hamer Hall balcony will still happen mid this year.
MORE NEWS
WOOLIES PUTS FURTHER LIMITS ON TOILET PAPER
MELBOURNE EVENTS CANCELLED/POSTPONED SO FAR