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Construction to replace the notorious Gipps Street steps on the Main Yarra Trail at Abbotsford with a stylish new ramp will start early in the new year.
Should the current drier weather continue in the coming days, machinery and materials will be moved into the construction zone, closing the trail between the steps and Gipps Street and the Abbotsford Convent.
A detour of trail will be in place along Gipps, Nicholson, Abbotsford, Clarke and St Helliers streets to re-join the trail.
The Collins Bridge over the Yarra at Gipps Street remains open.
Although the detour is on streets with traffic, it has been used periodically over the years with success.
There will be pre-closure signage and maps on the route to assist riders.
The project is scheduled to be completed in about year, all going well.
The project will cost around $15M and is a joint project of Parks Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
No native tree species will be removed during construction.
Much of the vegetation currently on the embankment at this part of the Yarra is invasive week species and will be largely removed as part of this project, with the embankment regenerated by new native plantings.
At the completion of the project Trail users will see the addition of an approximately 150 metre-long, curling elevated walkway and bicycle path which will follow a gentle gradient, enabling all users to enjoy a continuous journey along the trail.
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