How a $20 million, 10-year ‘urban connector’ will revitalize Melbourne’s CBD and make it a hub of urban mobility
By Mark LeCunPublished July 05, 2018 07:22:54The Melbourne City Council has approved the Urban Connector project which will create an urban pedestrian bridge across the Yarra River and bring more people and goods to the city.
The project will be built in a partnership between the State Government and the Australian Federal Government and is expected to bring the city more than $20 billion in capital expenditure over the life of the project.
The $20-million bridge will link the Yarrah and Melbourne roads and will connect the CBD with the city’s main shopping precinct.
The bridge will include an elevated pedestrian walkway which will connect it with the existing pedestrian and cycle paths in the CBD.
The pedestrian walkways will be designed to allow people to cross between the two roads without fear of a collision.
The Federal Government will provide funding for the project, which will cost about $30 million.
Melbourne Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the bridge would make the city a more attractive destination for visitors, as well as provide a safer, healthier, more pedestrian-friendly environment for people of all ages.
“The urban connector is a great opportunity to create a safe and more pedestrian friendly place for people to go and do business in the city and it is a fantastic opportunity for the community to get connected to the CBD and the city itself,” Ms Scaffidis said.
“Melbourne’s CBD has an impressive heritage of many different kinds of businesses and places of cultural interest and we have a lot of potential in the area, especially around CBD Park.”
I’m really excited about this project and I think it is going to be a great benefit for all residents of the CBD.
“The project is expected not only to generate economic benefit for the city but will also improve the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.”
This project is going from an initial pilot project to something that will be a true global model of how to bring people, goods and services into a city,” said Professor John Taylor, a University of Melbourne urban planning professor.”
It will also be a major boon for tourism and create new jobs in the local community.
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