Works in progress

Elizabeth St tramway works

I was recently in the city on a Saturday morning and was impressed at the amount of work that was taking place during this not-quite-as-busy-as usual time.   A section of Elizabeth Street was blocked off while major tramway replacement work was occurring. 

Waiting in Lonsdale St

Not only was Elizabeth Street a scene of activity, but trucks were waiting for their turn around the corner in Lonsdale Street.

In fact, tramway works at some location or other currently seem to be scheduled for just about every holiday break.   There has been recent publicity about work (and consequential changes to tram services) in St Kilda Rd (over Easter) and Swanston St, to name just two instances.   However, activity on the morning concerned was not limited to tramway works, as there was action at a number of other places, including the footpaths outside the Supreme Court in William Street.

Outside the Supreme Court

Of course various work in William Street has been  under way for some time.  First, there was the replacement of a major water main, and this has been followed by work on the kerbs on both sides of the street.   However, it is gratifying to see that some effort is apparently being made to perform at least some of the work at less-busy times, even if this comes at some cost to taxpayers in the form of penalty rates for working at weekends.