On Tue, 12 Jan 2021 08:43:32 +1000, 'Richard Youl' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

>Network upgrade: Early this morning, the Bridge Road M&R team

>successfully ran a test tram through the newly upgraded

>intersection at Bridge Road and Church St, with regular R78 services resuming today.

>Works along the rest of Bridge Road continue until the 16th”


The New Year and I start my quarterly round of contributing to the medical profession's super funds. As I was thus just "up the street" I decided to have a look at the Bridge Road tram works.

A2.270 Balaclava-bound on a route 78 service rolls over the tram square at Church Street and Bridge Roads (very quietly, so I can't even say "clattered" any more). The track work in Bridge Road is essentially complete: according to the employee guarding the works entrance, only the area of track on the bridge over the Yarra remains to be completed and trams will run from first service on Saturday 16th.

https://gallery.steam4me.net/albums/trams/2021/270_church_bridge_a7R3_04594.jpg
(2,000x1,125 pxl; 1.13MB)

A truck is busily watering the newly laid asphalt (and the guard's SUV!) near the intersection of Bridge and Church. Just like a newly sown lawn, it appears a new road needs to be thoroughly watered in. Note that the tram stop inbound on Bridge Road has not been upgraded, the yellow concrete "prow" clearly visible (nor have the in- and out-bound stops outside the Richmond Town Hall).

https://gallery.steam4me.net/albums/trams//infrastructure/works_bridge_at_church_a7R3_04581.jpg
(2,000x1,250 pxl; 1.39MB)

A2.300 purrs(!) over the tram square bound for North Richmond on a route 78 service. Of interest is that the pedestrian signal located on the traffic light at the extreme left of the picture has a countdown clock for pedestrians heading south along Church Street (not that you can get an image of it and a tram on the square at the same time as the tram would be running a red; there were multiple cars in front of the stationary tram when the countdown clock was running so a decent photo wasn't possible while I was there...... plus onset of high cloud had me finishing up for the day). As far as I could see, it's the only one at this intersection.

https://gallery.steam4me.net/albums/trams/2021/300_church_at_bridge_a7R3_04619.jpg
(2,000x1,250 pxl; 1.14MB)

Yuri.