Track laying, road moving and traffic adjustments were all part of the significant progress made on Sydney’s light rail project in April.
New light rail tracks have been installed at zone five on George Street (near Market Street), at zone six outside the Queen Victoria Building, and at zone two near Circular Quay, where track work is reportedly nearing completion. Construction work is also planned to begin in zone one (at Circular Quay east of George Street) on Friday 5 May.
Over the Easter weekend, advantage was taken of lower traffic volumes to install track at the intersection of George Street with Bridge and Grosvenor Streets, while work started in zone 13 on Eddy Avenue between Pitt and Elizabeth Streets.
Surry Hills’ first track was also laid over the long weekend at the intersection of Elizabeth and Devonshire Street. Work is now reportedly underway on the relocation of the extensive water, gas, and electrical utilities that currently run under Devonshire Street towards Central Station in preparation for the laying of track in the latter half of this year.
In early April, Anzac Parade was returned to its original alignment after 8 weeks of construction on the light rail tunnel under the road at Moore Park; excavation of the tunnel is to begin next month. Extensive work is also underway on the Eastern Distributor Bridge — including barrier placement, road pavement, and vegetation and utility work — which will continue over May.
The first electrical substation was completed at Randwick, on Alison Road, and weekend work on the intersection of Alison Road and Darley Road that began on 28 April is to continue over the next three weeks.
Randwick’s final construction zone was established on High Street at the end of March. This has lead to significant traffic changes due to the closure of the road between Wansey Road and Avoca Street for geotechnical and heritage surveys. Excavation is also underway for the new underground substation under High Cross Park, and utilities work is soon to begin for the laying of electrical cables in the area.