Melbourne Metro site shut down by asbestos find

Workers discovered a large exposed asbestos pipe while digging up St Kilda Road, suspending work on part of the $11 billion Metro rail tunnel project.

The asbestos pipe was unearthed last Friday and is in the southbound lanes of St Kilda Road, opposite Melbourne Grammar School and the luxury Domain Apartments.

WorkSafe staff have been on-site and are making inquiries.

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority insisted there was no threat to workers or the public.

Work around the immediate area where the pipe was unearthed was stopped when the discovery was made.

The construction team was advised by a specialist to leave the pipe undisturbed because the asbestos was not airborne.

“Asbestos was regularly used in construction until the 1980s, which is precisely why we’re prepared for appropriately managing discoveries such as these,” an authority spokeswoman said.

“Our asbestos management plan was put into place and the asbestos is being safely removed without delaying delivery of the urgently needed Metro Tunnel project.”

The government recently announced that it is ahead of schedule, with a revised completion date of 2025.

Photo: The Age