Work will get underway this year on the first new street in the massive Fishermans Bend redevelopment, and yes, it is a bike route.
The new east-west street, from Salmon Street to Todd Road, will follow on from Turner Street to form one of the key Strategic Cycling Corridors across the precinct.
The City of Melbourne has already installed new bike facilities along Turner Street.
The new development site will be Stage 1 of the Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct (FBIP), which is part of a broader initiative that will be home to approximately 80,000 residents and up to 80,000 workers by 2050.
The site, formerly General Motors Holden, is integrated with Melbourne University’s new School of Engineering and Design campus, which opens next year.
As well as road and bike connections, Stage 1 of the project will involve a new public park and the necessary infrastructure to accommodate for a
world-class advanced manufacturing, engineering and design precinct.
Work on electrical and other services for the precinct has been underway during the past 12 months.
In addition to the main works, there will be a roll-out of smart poles within the precinct which are capable of boosting 5G and local wi-fi networks and deliver EV charging.
Fishermans Bend covers approximately 480 hectares across the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip – and connects Melbourne's CBD to Port Phillip Bay.
The state government is investing almost $180 million to kickstart development of the precinct which will become a centre of innovation in advanced manufacturing, engineering and design.
Last year, the government also endorsed a preferred route for a possible future rail tunnel through Fishermans Bend and Docklands – providing certainty to landowners that a new transport connection will be developed in the future.
Planning work has also started for a future tram connection and almost 1,500 additional bus services per week have been added to the Fishermans Bend public transport network since 2022 – increasing the frequency, reliability and coverage of service to the area.
Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts Harriet Shing said: “We’re delivering a well-connected and carefully planned precinct at Fishermans Bend, with connections to roads and new public spaces that will be incredibly important as development continues.”
As a footnote, when Bicycle Network was exploring this potential route a year or two ago, we discovered it was already home to a running track, pictured below. Maybe this new, as yet unnamed street, could feature a road, bike path and running track. That would be innovation!
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