Even wanted to walk or cycle into the city but just the thought of beeping horns and car congestion put you off? There’s good news for inner west locals: your commute just got a whole lot easier and greener thanks to the opening of Melbourne’s newest elevated cycling and pedestrian bridge.
The bright green 220-metre-long bridge is suspended from two dramatic 40-metre steel pylons and soars diagonally over the always busy Footscray Road and Waterfront Way intersection. It offers a safe, car-free link straight into the heart of Docklands – no more tricky intersections or peak-hour traffic. It’s also a win for local families, with students heading to Docklands Primary School now able to walk, scoot or ride safely along this new route. Phew!
This impressive new connection is part of the state government’s West Gate Tunnel Project, a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at easing congestion and creating safer routes for commuters by removing the need to cross six busy intersections. The project includes over 14 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, and is expected to remove 9,000 vehicles a day from local roads.
Inspired by the iconic West Gate Bridge, this eye-catching overpass now connects the Capital City Trail with the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail and will soon link up with Melbourne’s first elevated cycling freeway, the 2.5-kilometre Veloway, that will open later this year.
Once complete, the network will provide a continuous, uninterrupted route from the inner west straight into the CBD, giving cyclists and pedestrians a smooth, traffic-free journey. With this new bridge now open and the Veloway launch imminent, Melbourne could well become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country.
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