Melbourne’s busiest intersection is about to close. Here’s what’s going on

The corner of Flinders and Swanston streets — comfortably the most heavily trafficked intersection in the Melbourne CBD — will be fully closed in early May for major tram infrastructure works. St Kilda Road between Flinders Street and Southbank Boulevard will shut at the same time, cutting off one of the city’s main arterial corridors while upgrades are carried out.

It’s part of a broader wave of transport construction hitting virtually every corner of Melbourne and regional Victoria across autumn, with level crossing removals, freeway upgrades, tunnel construction and rail line shutdowns all running simultaneously. So far, 88 level crossings have already been removed across the city, and more are on the way in Melton, Truganina, Dandenong, Altona and Newport.

Key autumn disruptions

• Inner Melbourne: Flinders and Swanston streets intersection closed in early May; St Kilda Road closed between Flinders Street and Southbank Boulevard
• Melbourne’s west: Point Cook Road bridge closed above the Princes Freeway from mid-April to mid-year; buses replace trains on sections of the Werribee and Williamstown lines between Newport and Werribee for two weeks from 10 April; Hopkins Road, Truganina closed for three weeks from late April to mid-May
• Melbourne’s north: Bulleen Road southbound closure for up to two weeks in April between Bridge Street and Manningham Road
• Melbourne’s east: Eastern Freeway overnight and weekend closures between Doncaster and Bulleen roads in late March; Bridge Road, Richmond closed between Punt Road and Church Street for a weekend in April
• Melbourne’s south east: Buses replace trains on sections of the Frankston Line from 30 April to 21 May; Clyde Road, Berwick freeway ramp closures in April and May; Ferntree Gully Road reduced to one lane each way at Henderson Road from March; Bay Road, Cheltenham lane closures from May to August for Suburban Rail Loop works
• Regional Victoria: Coaches replace trains on the Maryborough Line from 25 April to 21 May; coaches replace trains on sections of the Geelong, Warrnambool, Seymour and Shepparton lines at times in April and May

Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.

 

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The Frankston Line is one of the worst-hit corridors, with buses replacing trains for three full weeks between 30 April and 21 May while crews finish building a new station and rail bridges tied to level crossing removals. Two more crossings at McDonald Street in Mordialloc and Station Street in Aspendale are set to be gone for good, with the new Mordialloc Station expected to open to passengers in May.

Out west, the Point Cook Road bridge will be closed above the Princes Freeway from mid-April through to mid-year as the existing roundabout is swapped out for traffic lights. The Maddox Road level crossing removal will also force bus replacements on the Werribee and Williamstown lines for two weeks from 10 April, with Hopkins Road closing for three weeks from late April.

North East Link tunnel construction continues to cause disruptions in Melbourne’s north and east, with Bulleen Road facing a southbound closure for up to two weeks in April and sections of the Eastern Freeway copping overnight and weekend shutdowns. Bridge Road in Richmond will also close between Punt Road and Church Street for a weekend in April for tram resurfacing.

The Suburban Rail Loop is entering its most visible phase yet, with tunnel boring machines arriving ahead of tunnelling between Cheltenham and Box Hill starting later this year. Bay Road in Cheltenham will have lane closures from May through to August as surface works ramp up.

For more information, head here.