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Building a transit lane to improve access for public transport and emergency services is a key aspect of the Hobart City Deal.

The transit lane is proposed to operate northbound between Olinda Grove and Macquarie Street, as a ‘T3’ transit lane. That means it could be used by private vehicles carrying three or more people, and buses, taxis, motorbikes, and emergency service vehicles.

The transit lane will complement the Kingborough park and ride facilities and bus improvements on Macquarie Street to provide an end-to-end solution for transport along this important road corridor.

The proposed transit lane will support a greater uptake of public transport and carpooling, and improved travel times and reliability for transit lane users.

Plans and designs

This updated design was developed after reviewing the community feedback and advice from engineering consultants.

Click on the image below to view the Southern Outlet Transit Lane design in full size.

Southern Outlet - Transit Lane- Design - August 2022

Below is a concept design of the T3 transit lane and peak hour clearway.

Southern Projects Transit Lane yellow lined map August 2024

Community consultation

Community consultation finished in September 2021 for the Southern Outlet Transit Lane and the Macquarie and Davey Streets Bus Improvements. You can read more about the community consultation here:

Southern Projects Consultation and Feedback Summary Report.

Kingborough Park and Ride Facilities Fact Sheet.

Timeline

We are timing these works to minimise traffic impacts and make sure we aren’t working on too many sections at the same time.

Construction starts on Transit Lane Connector between Macquarie and Davey Streets

August 2024

Work finishes on Transit Lane Connector

April 2025

Tenders advertised for rockface protection works on the Southern Outlet

2025

Major construction starts on Southern Outlet Transit lane

2025

Rockface protection works

We have carried out investigations of the rockface at the southern end of the proposed Transit Lane site.

The rockface is safe, but needs further protection works to reduce the risk of rocks falling during construction.

Rock protection works will happen before we start on the major construction of the Transit Lane, just down from the Olinda Grove ramp and cover about 400 metres.

Works may include the installation of protective rockfall mesh, fence, and anchors, as well as blasting in selected areas.

The contractors will determine the specific locations of these works along the 400-metre distance.

When will work start and how long will it take?

This work is expected to start later in 2025 and will take about 12 months to complete, weather permitting.

Why is this work being done?

After extensive site investigations, particularly of the rockface near the Olinda Grove ramp, our engineers identified a risk of rockfall during the construction of the Transit Lane.

While there is no current risk to road users, they found that the vibration and rock breaking work associated with construction could result in rockfall.

This means further rock stability and protection works are required before major construction work begins.

What impact will the works have on traffic?

This is still to be determined and will be discussed with the successful contractors from the tender process.

Safety of road users and workers involved in the project is a priority. Timing of works, to reduce impacts to residents and road users will also be considered.

How much of the rockface will need to be protected?

At this stage, we are looking at rock protection work over approximately 400 metres. Approximate extent of the proposed works is shown in the image below.

Traffic impacts

The construction of the Southern Projects program will see more roadworks over the next three years and the need for temporary measures to avoid congestion, particularly during the peak periods.

We will continue to work on ways to reduce the impact of the Transit Lane construction on traffic flow and will share more information with the community and stakeholders as the project progresses.

From August 2024 we began work to add an extra lane at the bottom of the Southern Outlet to ease the bottleneck.

To add this new lane, the road between the Southern Outlet and Davey Street intersection through to Macquarie Street will be widened.

This new lane will connect to the new clearway on Macquarie Street.

We will be mostly working at night to minimise the impact on traffic.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Southern Outlet Transit Lane, please contact the project team on 1800 879 119 or email

southernoutlet@stategrowth.tas.gov.au

If you have any questions about the Transit Lane Connector currently being constructed, please contact the Stakeholder Engagement Representative, Lucy Bennet, on 0408 074 592 or email transitlaneconnector@stategrowth.tas.gov.au