Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Entrance Is Now on Argyle Street: Lane Changes, a Left-Turn Ban and Drop-Off Points (Hobart, TAS)

The Royal Hobart Hospital’s Emergency Department can now be reached only from a new entrance on Argyle Street, near the corner of Liverpool Street, and cars and trucks cannot turn left from Argyle Street into Liverpool Street between 7:00am and 7:00pm. The change began at 8am on Tuesday 15 September 2026, according to the Tasmanian Government, and the Argyle Street entrance will operate until mid-2028.

This guide sets out what the Department of Health, the Premier’s office and the City of Hobart have published about the move: which streets and lanes have changed, where the drop-off areas are, what is happening to the Liverpool Street driveway, and which hospital pages are out of date. It is a traffic and access guide, not medical advice. The figures come from the Department of Health’s Emergency Department works and temporary relocation page, read on Wednesday 21 October 2026.

Where is the Emergency Department entrance now?

On Argyle Street, near the corner of Liverpool Street. The Department of Health says the Emergency Department can only be accessed from the new Argyle Street entrance, and that there is no public access to the department from the hospital entrances on Liverpool Street or Campbell Street. The Minister for Health’s media release of 1 September 2026 says all patients and visitors will use the Argyle Street entrance from 8am on 15 September.

The Argyle Street entrance is a temporary arrangement. The release says it will operate until mid-2028, when works on Liverpool Street are complete. The move allows the existing Emergency Department and the Liverpool Street forecourt to be redeveloped as part of a $130 million expansion. When the expansion is finished, the release says the upgraded department will have 120 treatment points and points of care. The release also says the hospital remains fully operational during construction.

What has changed on Argyle Street?

The Department of Health lists these changes to traffic lanes on Argyle Street, to provide a new ambulance zone and a public drop-off area:

• The right-hand lane of Argyle Street between Collins Street and Liverpool Street is now an ambulance bay, and the adjacent footpath is partially closed to allow ambulance access.
• Argyle Street is reduced to two traffic lanes, from Collins Street to just before the Liverpool Street intersection.
• Drivers turning right into Bathurst Street can move back into the right-hand lane just before the Liverpool Street intersection.
• The Argyle Street footpath between Hobart Private Hospital and Liverpool Street is closed.
• The bike lane and on-street parking are closed in the construction zones on Liverpool Street (between Campbell and Argyle streets) and Argyle Street.

The City of Hobart’s temporary road closures page lists the lane closure too: Argyle Street, right-hand lane only, between Collins Street and Liverpool Street, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027, for the temporary relocation of the Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department. The Department of Health describes the changes as current and says its dates and timings will be regularly updated as work progresses.

Can I turn left into Liverpool Street?

Not in a car or truck between 7:00am and 7:00pm. The Department of Health says cars and trucks are not permitted to turn left from Argyle Street into Liverpool Street between those hours. The notice does not give a rule for the hours outside 7:00am to 7:00pm, and it does not mention bicycles or buses in that rule.

What is happening to the Liverpool Street driveway?

From Friday 9 October 2026 to Sunday 20 December 2026, the Liverpool Street driveway is closed to vehicles as part of the Emergency Department Expansion Project. The department says pedestrians can reach the Liverpool Street entrance by a temporary walkway, with signs in place.

If you need an accessible drop-off or pick-up, or need to be dropped off or picked up at a hospital entrance, the department says to use the Campbell Street entrance. It has added CCTV and an intercom at that entrance for after-hours access, coordinated with lift access to the hospital campus.

For the period after that, the department’s summary of changes lists “late 2026 to early 2027” for redevelopment of the existing Emergency Department and the forecourt on Liverpool Street between Campbell and Argyle streets, with staged works and local access changes across the site. It gives no exact dates for that stage.

Where can I park or be dropped off?

The hospital’s parking and access page says there is no long-term parking at the Royal Hobart Hospital and asks you, where possible, to have a friend or relative bring you. It says there is limited metered, short-term parking, plus drop-off and pick-up zones, in Argyle, Bathurst, Campbell, Collins and Liverpool streets, and that the council may fine you if you do not park correctly.

That page was last updated on 17 August 2026, which is before the Emergency Department moved. It still says the Emergency Department is reached from Liverpool Street, and it still lists a taxi rank outside the hospital’s Liverpool Street entrance and a patient drop-off zone in the Liverpool Street turning circle. Because the Liverpool Street driveway has been closed to vehicles since 9 October, treat those lines as out of date and follow the signs on site. The Emergency Department works page, updated on 5 October 2026, is the newer notice.

From the parking page, the entries that relate to Argyle Street are:

• A drop-off zone on Level 3 of the Argyle Street Car Park gives access to the Wellington Clinics and the hospital through the air walk between 8:00am and 5:00pm.
• The Emergency Department works page says access between the hospital and the Wellington Clinics via the Level 3 airbridge remains available from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.
• The Wellington Clinics’ drop-off zones are listed as Argyle Street between Collins and Liverpool streets, and Level 3 of the Argyle Street Car Park.

The two pages give the air walk’s days differently, with the parking page not naming days, so check the signs at the entrance before you rely on it at a weekend.

What does the Argyle Street Car Park offer?

The City of Hobart describes the Argyle Street Car Park as the largest multi-storey car park in the Hobart CBD. It has 1,155 bays and a height restriction of 2 metres, and it is open from 6:30am to 10:00pm every day. Vehicle entry is from Argyle Street between Collins and Liverpool streets. The council says access directly to the Wellington Centre and the Royal Hobart Hospital via the skybridge is available on Level 3, with additional accessible parking spaces and pay stations at the walkway. The car park’s address is 38 Argyle Street, and its council page lists 41 accessible parking spaces.

Is Hobart Private Hospital affected?

The Department of Health says patient and vehicle access to Hobart Private Hospital does not change. The Minister’s release says the same: access to the Hobart Private Hospital will not be affected by the works.

Can I get there by bus?

The hospital’s parking page says Metro Tasmania operates bus services to the Hobart CBD, and asks you to check Metro’s website for timetables and routes. Metro bus travel is currently free across Tasmania under a government scheme; our guide to free bus travel in Tasmania has the details and the end date.

Who do I contact?

The Department of Health gives the contact for questions as its engagement consultants, RPS Consulting, at RHH@rpsconsulting.com or 1800 175 761, during office hours. It also notes that the works are subject to weather conditions, which may cause delays, and that a further update will be provided if the works need to be rescheduled.

Quick summary

• Emergency Department entrance: Argyle Street, near Liverpool Street, since 15 September 2026.
• Liverpool Street and Campbell Street entrances: no public access to the Emergency Department.
• Argyle Street: two lanes, with an ambulance bay and a public drop-off area.
• Left turn from Argyle Street into Liverpool Street: not allowed for cars and trucks from 7:00am to 7:00pm.
• Liverpool Street driveway: closed to vehicles 9 October to 20 December 2026.
• Accessible drop-off or pick-up at a hospital entrance during that closure: Campbell Street entrance.
• Argyle Street entrance in use until mid-2028.

Sources

• Tasmanian Department of Health — Emergency Department works and temporary relocation (updated 5 October 2026; checked 21 October 2026)
• Premier of Tasmania — Royal Hobart Hospital Emergency Department entrance temporary relocation (1 September 2026)
• Tasmanian Department of Health — Parking and access at Royal Hobart Hospital (updated 17 August 2026)
• City of Hobart — Temporary road closures (checked 21 October 2026)
• City of Hobart — Argyle Street Car Park (checked 21 October 2026)

Featured image: Royal Hobart Hospital H Block and the Wellington Centre, photographed in November 2017 (photo: Gary Houston / CC0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Royal Hobart Hospital, the Tasmanian Government or the City of Hobart. Access arrangements can change; check the official pages above before you travel.