Temporary Tram Track
Work is about to begin on the construction of a tram overpass across South Road at Black Forest – not to mention the extension of the city’s tram system through to the Entertainment Centre.
As part of the overpass project, temporary tram tracks have been laid alongside the existing tramline, between stops 7 and 5.
From Monday (6th July), trams will be moved onto the new tracks which run along Norman and Glengyle Terraces, on the northern side of the current line.
The one kilometre of temporary track will give construction workers the room they need to build the overpass while allowing the trams to continue to operate between the city and Glenelg.
To accommodate the trams, traffic in both terraces has been reduced to one way (east bound).
Concrete barriers and fences have been erected to separate the trams from the traffic.
Ron White is a life member of the Tramway Museum at Saint Kilda and has been riding the Glenelg tram since the 1940s.
He’s been keeping a close eye on the construction, which he thinks is the first major diversion track in the history of the tram line.
Ron says when the line was originally converted from train to tram in 1929 the whole system was shut down for eight months, which included the construction of the Goodwood Overpass.
The South Road tram stop has now been closed and won’t reopen until the new overpass is completed in December.
The Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, says the existing boom gates and warning signals at the South Road level crossing will be replaced with traffic lights, similar to those at the Greenhill Road tram crossing.
Trams will be restricted to 25 kilometres per hour on the temporary track and all trams will be required to stop at South Road before proceeding.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the City to Bay tram line.
