Riders on the Bay Trail will need to be extra careful in the coming months as Melbourne Water installs a by-pass pipe between North Road and South Road.
The temporary pipe is part of the work on adjacent Beach Road and will be installed during April and May.
As it is 450mm in diameter, it steals a considerable amount of space from the trail.
The surface mounted pipeline will run along the Bay Trail, between Brighton Beach Boxes car park and the Anzac Memorial, for up to three months.
Due to the narrowing of the path, Melbourne Water says, riders will be required to walk their bikes along this 800 metre section. Hmmm.
Ramps will be installed on the Bay Trail at pipe crossing points to maintain pedestrian access to the beach.
To minimise the disruption to the community, the bypass pipe will, where possible, run along the beach, above the high tide mark, or through parkland.
The pipe will be trenched at car park entrances to maintain public access.
Beach Road
Meanwhile, on Beach Road proper, works continue to increase in extent.
During April, works will take place from Small Street Hampton to Park Street Brighton.
Up to two traffic lanes will be closed to enable works to take place from Sunday 6pm to Friday 6pm. Through traffic will be maintained.
Two-way traffic will continue. No lane closures are anticipated on weekends (works begin at 6pm on Sundays), reducing the impact to bike riders on one of most iconic road circuits.
The manhole modification crew will be working between South Road and Norwood Avenue over the next two weeks. Moving progressively north up Beach Road, the works crew is expected to reach Park Street by the end of April.
Manhole modification works will take place Monday to Friday between 7am to 4pm.
Outside work hours, open manholes will be covered with a highly visible, non-slip road plate embedded into the roadway to smooth the transition. Be sure to ride in accordance with the change in road surfaces during your ride.
Night works will begin after Easter with sewer lining activities from Small Street to Orlando Street, Hampton. Sunday evening to Friday morning between 6pm to 6am.
The works schedule could change for a variety of reasons and bike riders should be vigilant and take extra care.
For your own safety and the safety of the work crews, do not ride inside the bollard barricades as there will be open manholes, heavy machinery and workers.