10 May 2022
Tunnelling underway on Victoria’s alternative to the West Gate Bridge
Tunnelling has started on the project, with Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) Bella and Vida, starting the journey from Whitehall Street in Yarraville to the West Gate Freeway.
Bella and Vida are operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for approximately the next 18 months to build the twin tunnels that will provide a more direct journey between the city and the west.
The first TBM to start, Bella is building the longer 4km outbound tunnel while the second TBM, Vida, is digging the shorter 2.8km inbound tunnel.
Our TBMs are the biggest in the southern hemisphere, with the cutterhead on each machine registering 15.6m in height – that’s as high as a five-storey building.
The cutterhead will cut through the earth, moving around 9m a day, but will stop every 2.4m to line the tunnel with concrete segments.
Once complete, the West Gate Tunnel will provide a quicker way to get to the city from the west and give trucks a direct route to the Port of Melbourne.
70 per cent of freeway widening work now complete
A six-week construction campaign in Melbourne’s west has delivered major progress for the project at Williamstown Road and the M80 interchange.
We now have 70 per cent of work complete to widen the West Gate Freeway from eight to 12 through lanes, reducing congestion and improving travel times.
At the M80, we rebuilt and realigned a number of existing on and off ramps and constructed sections of a new outbound ramp which will take motorists driving from the city from the West Gate Freeway to the Princes Freeway.
We strengthened the bridge over Williamstown Road to make it stronger for decades to come and carry the extra lanes on the West Gate Freeway. We set up a new worksite on the West Gate Freeway to continue freeway widening and building the city bound tunnel entrance, and completely rebuilt the exit ramp to Williamstown Road and on ramp to the West Gate Bridge.
The 50,000 litre tank which will catch debris and protect the nearby Stony Creek and local waterways was also installed under one of the ramps.
Thank you for your patience as we completed these important project works.
Hyde Street ramps progress
Significant progress has been made over the summer months in constructing the Hyde Street ramps.
The road deck span between each column is made up of six beams weighing more than 90 tonnes, with six spans complete on the city bound ramp and five complete on the outbound ramp.
The ramp on the northern side of the freeway will provide a new exit ramp for inbound traffic from the West Gate Freeway to Hyde Street.
The ramp on the southern side of the freeway will provide a new entry ramp for westbound traffic from Hyde Street to the West Gate Freeway.
Trucks that can’t travel in tunnels, will also be able to avoid residential streets by using the new ramps to connect to the port and fuel depots on Hyde Street.
Construction of the Hyde Street ramps continues throughout 2022.
Construction of elevated road underway
If you’ve travelled along Footscray Road recently, you’ll have noticed the progress we’re making in constructing the elevated road.
This new road is an important part of the West Gate Tunnel Project, taking cars and trucks out of the tunnel and connecting them to the city or the port.
A total of 15 spans, each consisting of 17 segments pre-made concrete segments, making up a total 670m of elevated road, have now been lifted into place.
The 238 columns and supports we need to construct the elevated road have also been completed, allowing for construction to continue uninterrupted.
An elevated road builder or “launching gantry,” will continue constructing the elevated road above Footscray Road toward the Maribyrnong River, and when this section is complete, it will be turned around to construct the city bound carriageway.
Rainbow noise walls going up
A different type of noise wall has begun appearing on the West Gate Freeway.
Rainbow-coloured acrylic panels are being installed in the centre carriage way of the freeway around Millers Road.
Coloured acrylics were chosen for the centre carriage way to create a contrast to the greens and blues of the other noise walls.
We’re building 9km of new and improved noise walls along the West Gate Freeway reduce traffic noise and provide an attractive outlook.
West Gate Neighbourhood Fund Grants announced
Twenty-eight local community projects in the inner west will share in almost half a million dollars as part of the West Gate Neighbourhood Fund Grants.
The West Gate Tunnel Project initiative provides funding for not-for-profit organisations to embark on projects that will celebrate, connect and transform inner-west communities.
A wide range of projects are being funded supporting arts and culture, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, sustainability, sport and recreation, and education.
Projects include bocce court upgrades at the Italian Social Club Altona, Arts Gen revamping its multipurpose art and community space, and the East African Women’s Foundation creating a space for social and cultural gatherings and
provide a one-stop place for access to services, assistance support and referral.
The $10 million West Gate Neighbourhood Fund is an initiative of the Victorian Government and supports projects that bring people together and build community capacity.
The full of grants recipients and projects is available on our West Gate Neighbourhood Fund webpage.
Out in the community again
Our project Info Centre in Yarraville is open again after a temporary closure due to the pandemic, and we’ve got a new exhibit on display for when you visit.
Drop by and take a look at our replica tunnel boring machine and learn how you construct a tunnel from our tunnelling experts.
The Info Centre recently held an Open Day to celebrate the start of tunnelling and hundreds of people attended to learn about how we are constructing the tunnels, while enjoying entertainment and free food. Thanks to everyone that dropped by on the day.
With events in Melbourne for the past two years being cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19, it has been great to be out and about in the community once again with our Mobile Info Hub.
This year we've been at the Footscray Lunar New Year and Yarraville Festival. For up to date information on where the Mobile Info Hub will be next, visit the Victoria's Big Build website and check out our socials.