The Rockliff Liberal Government is working hard to make our roads safer and more efficient around Tasmania, as it continues to deliver on things that matter to the Tasmanian people.
The next stage in the Southern Projects program will begin this summer construction season, with tenders for the Macquarie/Davey Streets Bus Improvement project to be advertised on Saturday, 7 October and construction work to start by the end of the year.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson, said this project is part of the carefully planned Southern Projects program. The program includes the construction of the Southern Outlet Transit Lane all the way through to Macquarie Street, and has a deliberate aim to make bus travel more attractive and improve traffic flow from the southern suburbs to Hobart’s CBD.
“My Department has been working on ways to minimise traffic impacts from construction. To do that, we have developed a staging of work, starting from where the traffic is the heaviest in the city and working our way back. Advice is that this will maximise the flow on the Macquarie and Davey Street couplet in the first instance with continued congestion improvement as we work our way back to Olinda Grove,” he said.
“The work will be done in smaller stages, so we aren’t working on too many sections at the same time.
“This summer, we will focus on initial preparation works for the transit lane, construction of the Macquarie and Davey Streets Bus Improvements project and the first element of the Southern Outlet Transit Lane, the Transit Lane Connector between Davey and Macquarie Streets.
“These projects will add new lane capacity and improve peak hour traffic flow through Hobart’s CBD, and improve the bottleneck between Davey and Macquarie Streets.
“We are doing this work first to minimise traffic impacts when the major construction on the additional Transit Lane starts.
“In the coming weeks, teams will remove the three vacant Dynnyrne properties that were acquired for the project. This work will include some night-time lane closures and should not impact traffic during the day.
Further information, including dates and times of this work will be made available soon.
“In November, work will start on the Macquarie and Davey Streets Bus Improvement project with the removal of some parking spaces and changes to parking arrangements on both sides of the two streets.
"This will allow for the construction of new clearways which will improve bus access and traffic flow during peak traffic periods.
“This follows an extensive period of engagement with residents and business owners. More details on the changed parking arrangements will be made available soon.
“In late 2023, after the parking changes have been completed, construction will start on the extended clearways and cycling improvements on Macquarie and Davey Streets. This should be completed by March 2024 and will provide a dedicated bus lane connecting the current bus lane at the bottom of the Southern Outlet through to Molle Street. The Department has been instructed to minimise traffic impacts at every stage, with any lane closures occurring outside morning and afternoon peak periods.
“Construction of the Transit Lane Connector will see an additional lane added between Davey and Macquarie Streets. This project is expected to go to tender later this year, with construction to start in early 2024. This work will mostly take place at night to minimise any impact on commuters.
“The Connector and Macquarie and Davey Street improvements will link with the Southern Outlet Transit Lane when it is built.
“We expect to start on more preparation works on the Transit Lane itself in April 2024, installing rockface protection on a stretch of the Outlet just down from Olinda Grove.
“Major construction of the Transit Lane is scheduled for early 2025.
“Construction of the Southern Projects program will see more roadworks over the next three years and temporary measures to avoid congestion, particularly during peak periods.
“We will continue to work on ways to reduce the impact of the Transit Lane construction on traffic flow and will share more information with the community and stakeholders as the project progresses.
“As we always do, we thank residents and commuters in advance for their patience and cooperation during these construction projects, as we provide better infrastructure that will provide real relief and incentive for public transport for years into the future."
Further information on the Southern Projects Program can be found at www.transport.tas.gov.au/southernprojects
More Media Releases from Michael Ferguson
More Media Releases from the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport