Transforming Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street
The City of Melbourne is giving our neighbourhood a facelift – 2.5 hectares of beautiful new green public spaces along Southbank Boulevard and its surrounds!
Construction commenced in July 2018, with works taking an estimated 18 months – and while there'll be plenty of long-term benefits to the Melbourne Arts Precinct, there'll also be some short-term impacts to visitors, including temporary road closures, changes/diversions to roads and traffic lights, and changed access to our car park.
Our Car Park will remain open 24/7 during this time.
So what's this project all about?
City of Melbourne's vision for our neighbourhood is to transform Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street into one of Australia's most pedestrian-friendly places and linking the Domain Parklands to the Yarra River.
After extensive community and stakeholder engagement, construction of the first stage of the project started Monday 16 July 2018. You can view the interactive Draft Concept Plan here; the plan outlines 10 actions for a new vision for Southbank that will:
Please refer to the Transforming Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street website for more detailed information.
Southbank Boulevard Construction Bulletin Update
The City of Melbourne is finalising plans to alter the traffic conditions on Southbank Boulevard. The key changes associated with the project and directly affecting your visit to Arts Centre Melbourne in are:
| Impact area | During construction | Once construction completed |
|---|---|---|
| Sturt Street entry | Lanes will be reversed at certain times to facilitate exits – please choose your entry lane according to signage on the day. | This will continue to operate as normal with all four entry lanes operational. |
| Southbank Boulevard exits |
There will be periodic closures of the two
upper exit lanes but we will endeavour to minimise
disruption during this time. Please follow signage and staff directions accordingly. Left turn only onto Southbank Boulevard. The two lower level exit lanes will be closed for the duration of construction. Vehicles on the lower level will be diverted to the Upper Level or to Sturt Street accordingly. |
Left turn only onto Southbank Boulevard with all four exit lanes operational. |
| Internal | We may need to make minor operational changes and we will endeavour to minimise disruption during this time.. | We're currently working with an external consultant to determine any required changes. |
Please ensure you plan your journey and allow extra travel time. Refer to the below table for road access to the Arts Centre Melbourne car park.
| Traffic direction | Route during construction |
|---|---|
| Southbank Boulevard | No access between St Kilda Road and Moore Street. |
| North bound on St Kilda Road | A temporary detour via Grant Street and Sturt Street will be implemented. |
| Linlithgow Avenue | Access via City Road and Alexandra Avenue. |
| Sturt Street | Accessible, with intersections currently operated by traffic controllers, pending the installation of new traffic lights. |
| City Road | No change. |
| Kavanagh Street | No change. |
City of Melbourne have produced this video outlining changes to road conditions.
Keep checking this web page for up-to-date information on the project timelines, changed traffic conditions and any Arts Centre Melbourne car park changes. We'll keep updating it as more information becomes available.
If you're planning to visit us for an upcoming show, we'll also include a message in the pre-show email that we send to the email you booked your tickets through, which will remind you to check this page for updates to ensure you can have a smooth experience when you visit.
To find out more about the implementation of Transforming Southbank Boulevard and Dodds Street, please contact 9658 9658 or visit www.participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/southbankboulevard.
