Note: Construction works are causing intermittent closures of the Footscray Road bike route in the coming weeks. For updates, click here.
Update Thursday 20 April: The scheduled closure has been deferred and new dates will be communicated when made available.’
A major traffic switchover for West Gate Tunnel construction along Footscray Road will divert bike riders away from Footscray Road to Dynon Road and the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail next month.
Currently Footscray Road is closed for motor traffic coming into the city, but around the end of the month arrangements will be reversed, and Footscray Road will be closed to outbound traffic.
Works to build the overhead roadway and veloway have been focused on the north side of Footscray Road, above the inbound lanes. Soon that will change as work on the elevated structure will move to south side.
Following that, major structural elements will need to be lifted above and moved into close proximity to the trail, requiring its closure and the detour along the creek and Dynon Road to Footscray.
For people riding the Footscray-Docklands journey the detour will add 1 km+ to the journey.
For riders travelling Footscray to the central city, they will find the journey faster by taking the Lloyd Street-Arden Street short cut to the city.
There are some sections of the detour route that have recognised deficiencies, and improvements are planned.
There will be more information and advice available closer to the switchover date.
Riders should be aware that with the westbound closure of Footscray Road to motor traffic. There will be significant changes in travel patterns, and therefore long delays and the usual confusion and illegal manoeuvres by trucks and cars to contend with as they find other routes out of the city.
With this change there will also be modifications to routes for Port traffic. Riders on Footscray Road will have noticed recent activity within the Port related to the construction of new rail tracks and roads aimed at improving freight movements.
Riders should be especially careful at Appleton Dock Road where some driver may attempt to rat-run west through the Port.
A number of changes are under consideration to make the Appleton Dock intersection less risky for riders.
From Wednesday 29 March 2023 until late-May the West Gate Tunnel Project will:
- Close the westbound/outbound lanes 24 hours, 7 days a week. Detours will be in place until works are completed – Dynon Road is the preferred detour route.
- Reopen the eastbound/citybound lanes to traffic and the launching gantry crane will switch sides to continue building the westbound elevated structure.
- For safety reasons, close the Footscray Road pedestrian and cycling path for 3 weeks from mid-April as part of these works. Detours and signage will be in place during this time.
- Extend the entry and exit lanes of Linfox until early-May 2023.
- Close Footscray Road in both directions at Shepherd Bridge for two weekends to enable work on the bridges over the Maribyrnong River and the elevated Footscray Road. These weekend closures will be notified separately.
In late-May to late-June the eastbound lanes are expected to close again. More information about this closure will be available in Autumn 2023.