There is a lot of pain coming your way, drivers of Melbourne, as one lane of Flinders Street is now closed – and will be for the next four years. But it's all going to be worth it, eventually, once the new Town Hall train station is built at Fed Square.
One westbound lane between Russell and Swanston streets will be closed. There will be one left-turning lane from Flinders Street into St Kilda Road and one lane towards Elizabeth Street. The state government says this closure could add an extra 15 minutes to your travel time if you're planning on driving along Flinders.
And don't think you can escape the congestion if you travel at night, as there will be lane reductions and closures throughout October and November from 10pm-5am. Those works will affect not only Flinders Street but also Swanston Street and St Kilda Road.
You can also kiss the Melbourne Visitor Centre at Fed Square goodbye, as it will be dismantled this week. It's been closed for a while (a new one is now open at Town Hall), and Fed Square is going to be the site of some major construction. There will be 18-metre acoustic sheds built next year to contain noise and dust that will come out of the 24-hour excavation and tunnelling works.