General News
10 October, 2025
Safety upgrade for bus interchange
MAJOR work is about to begin to improve safety at the Lava Street bus interchange.
The existing pedestrian crossing will be replaced with a new, raised pedestrian crossing approximately 40 metres to the east.
Works also include the construction of improved loading and unloading areas for buses, road and footpath renewals as well as a lighting upgrade.
Warrnambool mayor Cr Ben Blain said these works would formalise the location of the bus interchange after being moved from Koroit Street as part of the City Centre Renewal Project.
“Once the decision was made that this would be the permanent site for the city’s central bus exchange, it then became a matter of attracting the necessary state government funding to carry out the infrastructure and safety improvements needed,” he said.
“At the same time, the road surface itself, as well as the footpaths, are showing their age, so it made sense to improve these as part of the same project.
“The footpath on the south side of Lava Street will be rebuilt and have a new asphalt layer applied.
“On the north side, we know that AusNet is planning to dig up part of this footpath over the next year or so in order for them to carry out gas works.
“The plan here is to carry out some minor works to improve safety in the short-term, then fully rebuild it once the AusNet works are complete.”
Cr Blain said another aspect of the project was making provisions for a new public toilet.
“From the consultation we have done in recent years, we know that a public toilet is something that people would like to see in this area,” he said.
“So as part of the current works, we will be installing the utilities needed, so when future funding becomes available, the public toilet can be built and connected much more easily.
“CCTV cameras were another item raised, and it’s something we will continue to seek state government funding to implement.”
To minimise disruption, road asphalt finishing works will be carried out at night.
Footpath access to properties will be maintained for the majority of the time, with preparation works in front of doorways being undertaken before opening hours where possible.
Works are anticipated to take approximately nine weeks, concluding prior to the busy summer period.
“While we aim to minimise the impact to traffic, there will be two periods where Lava Street is required to be closed in one direction for multiple days for concrete curing,” Cr Blain said.
These closures are anticipated to be late October and late November, and likely to incorporate the weekend period.
Buses will continue to arrive and depart in the area, but may operate on a single side of the street.
Motorists and pedestrians are asked to observe on-site signage.
