Walkway STILL closed

The wood-decked extension of the Spencer Street Bridge remains closed due to issues relating to an engineering assessment, according to its owner.

Southbank Local News first reported the closure of the bridge overlooking South Wharf in July 2017, which was at least six months after it was originally closed.

At the time, the walkway’s owner Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) said that it was waiting for an engineering report to be completed and was ultimately unable to provide a timeframe for when the decking area would be re-opened.

Last month, after reporting on issues relating to cycling on Clarendon St, Southbank Local News couldn’t help but wonder how that timeframe could have blown out to nearly three years!

In chasing an update on the situation, a spokesperson for MCEC said: “The bridge is closed off as a number of the wooden boards have lifted, causing an uneven surface and thus a tripping hazard.”

“Once the issue was identified we commissioned an engineering assessment of the entire bridge which has taken a considerable amount of time and involved a number of stakeholders. We are working to resolve this as quickly as practicable.”

“The bridge itself is structurally sound and still safe for pedestrians to walk across on the concrete side of the glass wall.”

The western side of the bridge between Crowne Plaza and MCEC currently has three separate walkways for pedestrians; one being the footpath which runs immediately alongside the roadway, one concreted and the notorious wooden neighbour.

However, none of these spaces provide a dedicated area for cyclists and with bicycle user groups and many in the community requesting a safer solution for cycling over the bridge, one can’t help but feel there is an obvious solution here …