10 February 2023
Upcoming works at Footscray Road over Shepherd Bridge and Sims Street
We’re building new bridges over the Maribyrnong River that will link the West Gate Tunnel to an elevated roadway above Footscray Road.
This second river crossing will provide a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge with new connections to the port, CityLink and the CBD, to and from Melbourne’s west.
Shepherd Bridge disruption
Works on the bridges are progressing and the final four oversized beams are ready to be transported and installed into their final position above the Maribyrnong River.
So that we can safely transport the oversized beams to our work site on Maribyrnong Street, we need to close Footscray Road over Shepherd Bridge for a weekend in February and another in March so that we can continue construction.
From Friday night 10 February to Monday morning 13 February: Footscray Road over Shepherd Bridge will be completely closed in order to remove an overhead sign to make enough room to transport the oversized girders. Once completed the sign will be reinstated before the bridge is reopened on Monday morning.
We’ll also need to close Footscray Road over Shepherd Bridge in March over a weekend, we’ll provide information on these works closer to the time.
These works are in addition to the long-term lane closures on Footscray Road that are currently in place.
There will also be a number of short-term closures that will affect a small number of businesses on Footscray Road. Details of these specific impacts will be confirmed with these businesses directly.
Sims Street disruption
In order to safely continue bridge works on the eastern side of Maribyrnong River, we will need to close the Sims Street exit-ramp for six-weeks from Friday night 10 February until the end of March.
The temporary closure is needed so we can safely set-up cranes, undertake lifts to install beams and panels.
There will be some overnight closures on Footscray Road eastbound and westbound between Dock Link Road and Shepherd Bridge during the six-week closure, when these overnight closures are in place, there will be detours through Dynon Road.
Please note, this work may be subject to approvals and permits and may change due to site and weather conditions. We will provide updates if there are to be major changes.
| Impact | Date | |
|---|---|---|
Full closure of Shepherd Bridge Detours will be in place (please see map below). Please plan ahead, follow the detour signs, and allow extra time to get to where you need to. | The closure will take place 24/7 from 8pm Friday 10 February to 5:30am Monday 13 February 2023 | |
Sims Street exit-ramp closure There will also be a six-week single westbound lane closure of Footscray Road from Dock Link Road to Sims Street to help direct traffic away from the Sims Street closure. | Friday night 10 February until the end of March Overnight closures will be from 8pm to 5am |
Detours will be in place. See notification for a map of the detour.
Contact us
We appreciate our work can be disruptive and thank you for your understanding.
Works may be rescheduled in the event of unexpected impacts. Visit the Big Build disruptions map to plan your journey
For updates or questions, please call 1800 105 105, email us at info@wgta.vic.gov.au