Bike-busy Grattan Street next to Melbourne University in Parkville closes to traffic for five years from next Wednesday evening.
Work is starting on the new Parkville Station under the road.
Bikes will still be permitted on the shared path along the footpath on the north side, in front of the University . . . for now.
But by late March or early April that route will be closed.
There will be a series of diversions in place for bike riders as detours are established.
Those detours will be communicated prior to coming into play.
Pedestrian access along and across Grattan Street will be maintained.
Bus routes 401, 402, 403, 505, and 545 will be diverted around Grattan Street while still serving nearby hospitals and Melbourne University.
The Grattan Street closure, and other associated works in the precinct and nearby, are likely to create unpredictable road conditions for riders initially.
Although drivers will have had plenty of warnings of the traffic management measures proposed, many will still try and insist on a business as usual approach, until they confront the impossibility of trying to take the same routes as before.
They will be trying to drive down bike lanes, they will bank up across intersections, make sudden u-turns and so on.
Be careful out there.
Closure details
- Grattan Street between Royal Parade and Leicester Street
- Barry Street between Pelham and Grattan streets
- Berkeley Street closed at Grattan Street, access will be maintained via Pelham Street.
University of Melbourne Gate 10
Following the closure of Grattan Street, Gate 10 will be closed to vehicles from 21 February 2018, except for emergency vehicles and essential deliveries.
Pedestrian access will be maintained through Gate 10. However, pedestrian access routes to Gate 10 will change and alternative temporary access routes will be communicated in advance of these changes occurring.
Over the coming months Metro Tunnel will work closely with The University of Melbourne and Heritage Victoria to carefully remove the heritage-listed gates, pillars and a section of fencing at Gate 10. They will be stored during major works and restored and reinstated once construction is complete.