- Published:
- Sunday 5 November 2023
Deep under the ground and high in the air, two major milestones have been reached on the West Gate Tunnel Project – bringing commuters in Melbourne’s west another step closer to having their travel times slashed.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson today joined workers at the outbound tunnel exit to inspect the completed underground roadway – as well as the connection between the new bridge across Maribyrnong River and Footscray’s elevated road, with the giant beams now lifted into place.
Work is continuing to join all pieces of the project together, with the main bridge over the Maribyrnong River to create a vital second river crossing from the west.
It’ll span 760 metres, featuring three lanes in each direction, and allowing motorists to seamlessly travel from the West Gate Tunnel to CityLink and the CBD.
On top of the completed the roads, the two tunnel boring machines that built the tunnels – Bella and Vida – have finished their journeys and been dismantled, alongside the 400-tonne cranes that helped remove them from deep under the ground.
A crew of more than 250 people has worked around the clock to install almost 7 kilometres of road deck in both tunnels.
The crew will now move onto installing hundreds of kilometres of electrical and safety systems, while building the ground level ventilation system at the outbound tunnel exit and architectural timber features at its entrances.
The Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel will transform travel in Melbourne’s west, providing a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge and a much needed second river crossing.
Once complete in 2025, the West Gate Tunnel will slash travel times by up to 20 minutes and take more than 9000 trucks a day off local roads in the inner west.
Quotes attributable to Premier Jacinta Allan
“From Footscray to Melton, Melbourne's west is booming – and we're keeping pace by building the vital second river crossing Victorians need to get them home sooner and safer.”
“Crews have done an amazing job working around the clock under our feet and high above the ground to power ahead on this project. I want to thank them for their work in building this landmark project for our city’s west.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson
“This is a huge milestone for the West Gate Tunnel which is powering towards the finish line ahead of opening in 2025 – taking thousands of trucks off local roads and providing a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge.”
Quote attributable to Member for Williamstown Melissa Horne
“I want to thank the local community for their patience while we get on with building this important project, which will cut congestion, reduce travel times and get trucks off local roads.”