The La Trobe Street bike lane will be closed to east-bound traffic for the next 12 months for works on the new State Library Station.
The closure, between Elizabeth and Swanston Streets, begins on Monday 28 August 2023.
Bike riders will be detoured along Little Lonsdale Street, the same detour used successfully for previous La Trobe Street closures for the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project. See map at the top of the page.
The footpath will remain closed and trams will continue to operate. The west-bound bike lane will remain open. The east-bound road will be torn up to relocate services later during the closure.
In previous closures, riders quickly adapted to the detour route, with some opting to join Little Lonsdale Street from as far back as William Street, while others used Elizabeth Street.
Riders can choose to turn left and re-join La Trobe Street at Swanston Street, or travel further east on Little Lonsdale Street.
A hook-turn box will be provided within the La Trobe Street / Elizabeth Street intersection to turn right and travel southbound on Elizabeth Street.
Motor traffic will be detoured onto Lonsdale Street and riders are reminded to be watchful for unpredictable driver behaviour.
An additional right hook-turn box will be installed within the Swanston Street / La Trobe Street intersection to assist a right turn by bikes travelling east from Swanston Street onto La Trobe Street.
Pedestrian flows at this intersection will likely spill onto the road, occupying the hook-turn box, another reason to use Little Lonsdale Street to travel east.
The City of Melbourne's Little Streets program has converted Little Lonsdale Street to a 20km/h shared zone with short sections of kerb separation for cyclists.
Changes include motorcycle parking near the vehicle entrance to Melbourne Central in Little Lonsdale Street, which have reduced the congestion caused by delivery trucks queuing to get into the loading bays.
When State Library Station opens in 2025, the station entrance at the corner of La Trobe and Swanston Streets (See photo below) will lead into an expansive underground passenger foyer, with lifts and escalators transporting passengers down to the customer and ticketing area, towards the train platforms.
Three of the 12 entrance columns are now standing, and the first three overhead beams installed.
The station platforms are seven stories below street level.
There will be an underground passenger connection between State Library Station and Melbourne Central Station, allowing passengers to conveniently interchange between Metro Tunnel and City Loop train services without having to touch off and on again.
Surrounding streets will also be revitalised to provide better spaces for pedestrians, bike riders and the area’s growing residential community.
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