UPDATE 12/08/20
The dredging of the silt under the Yarra pontoons moves tomorrow to just outside Burnley Harbour, with a new detour going active.
This time riders will take the Mary Street - Barkly Street route through Barkly Gardens, a detour used frequently when the gates to Burnley Harbour are closed.
This detour is expected to last one to two weeks.
15/07/20
Dredging moves up-river
The dredging of sediment under the pontoons on the Main Yarra Trail will be extended further up-river next week as Parks Victoria moves to the next section of the project to keep the pontoons on the level and in good order.
From Monday the trail will be closed will be closed between Church Street in Cremorne and Barkly Avenue in Richmond.
The recommended alternative route for cyclist is as for the previous closure at Punt Rd to Cremorne, i.e. cross to the southern side of the river at Morell Bridge in the west and MacRobertson Bridge in the east.
Detour signs have been put up at MacRobertson and Morell Bridge to guide riders.
The closures are on weekdays between 7:30am and 5:30pm. The route will remain open on weekends.
The closure is expected to last until 10 August.
Then, if all is proceeding according to plan, the dregs will move again, with the trail being closed at Burnley Harbour, where operation will continue for about another six weeks.
During this final stage another detour will be available via Mary Street—the detour is commonly known and recommended during regular closures due to the opening of the Burnley Harbour Gate.
More details will be of the section three works will be available closer to the date.
You can get up-to-date information via the Parks Victoria website.
The Yarra River through the lower reaches silts up periodically. This the third occasion dredging has been required to put the pontoons on the level—it’s been done previously in 2009 and 2014.
In total, over 1000 cubic metres of material will be removed from under the trail.
Parks Victoria Recommended Detour until August 10 (approx..)
City bound
Cross the river at MacRobertson Bridge and follow the Capital City Trail on the southern bank of the Yarra for approximately 4.4km. Reconnect back onto the Main Yarra Trail at Anderson St via Morell Bridge (Anderson St Footbridge). Riders are advised to dismount and walk their bikes across the MacRobertson Bridge (Grange Road) as indicated by signage.
Out-bound
Cross the river at Anderson St via Morell Bridge (Anderson St Footbridge) and follow the Capital City Trail on the southern bank for approximately 4.4km. Reconnect back onto the Main Yarra Trail via MacRobertson Bridge. Riders are advised to dismount and walk their bikes across the MacRobertson Bridge (Grange Road) as indicated by signage.
NOTE: The cycling route is based on the avoidance of stairs, if a rider is willing carry their bike up or down stairs they can use the steps at Cremorne Rail Bridge or Church St.
The MacRobertson Bridge crossing is always problematic. Experienced riders who have encountered closures on the pontoons previously may be are of alternative on-road routes through the backstreets of Cremorne and Burnley.
There are three floating sections of the Main Yarra Trail.
Section 1: Between Punt Rd Bridge and Cremorne Rail Bridge.
Section 2: Between Church St Bridge and the Burnley Bouldering Wall.
Section 3: Outside of Burnley Harbour, just upstream of the Burnley Bouldering wall.
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