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The West Gate Tunnel Project will provide a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge, quicker and safer journeys, and remove over 9000 trucks a day from residential streets in the inner west.

Why are we building the West Gate Tunnel?

Currently, more than 200,000 vehicles a day rely on the West Gate Bridge, and a single incident can stop traffic.The West Gate Tunnel Project will end Melbourne’s reliance on the West Gate Bridge by building a new tunnel and new links to the port, CityLink and the city.

The West Gate Tunnel Project will:

• give people a choice – the tunnel or the bridge
• get over 9000 trucks off local streets in the inner west
• allow 24 hour truck bans on 6 local roads
• cut travel times to and from the west
• better connect Melbourne’s freeway network to help people and goods move around
• create 6000 jobs
• make local roads and the West Gate Freeway safer and more reliable
• provide 9 hectares of new public open space in the west
• build and maintain better noise walls along the West Gate Freeway, making it quieter at houses, parks and sport fields.

Road and tunnels

• Widening the West Gate Freeway from 8 to 12 lanes.
• New twin tunnels under Yarraville.
• A bridge over the Maribyrnong River providing a second river crossing that joins an elevated road along Footscray Road.
• A direct connection to Hyde Street for trucks carrying hazardous goods,over-height or local trips.
• Improved access to the Port of Melbourne.
• Connections to CityLink, inner northern suburbs and the city.
• Extending Wurundjeri Way to provide a city bypass.
• Smart technology adding to the M1 freeway management system.

Cycling and walking

• Completing the missing link in the Federation Trail.
• Upgrading major trails, including the Kororoit Creek and Federation trails.
• New shared paths connecting communities on either side of the West Gate Freeway.
• Safer off-road cycling paths on Hyde Street and Harris Street and a bridge over Whitehall Street.
• A 2.5km veloway – an elevated cycling highway from Footscray to Docklands.
• A pedestrian and cycling bridge over Footscray Road.

Liveable communities

• More than 9km of new and improved noise walls.
• New park in Altona North.
• New open space and landscaping at Stony Creek and Moonee Ponds Creek.
• New park and wetland opposite Yarraville Gardens.
• Enabling truck bans on six roads to take over 9000 trucks off local streets.

Powering on with works on the West Gate Tunnel Project

The project is a partnership between the Victorian Government and Transurban and will be built by construction contractors CPB Contractors and John Holland. During construction, our focus is on safety and on minimising disruption. We will work hard to make things as easy as possible for local residents, business, cyclists, and motorists as we get the work done.

The West Gate Tunnel Project, Major Road Projects Victoria is managing the project on behalf of the Victorian Government. There are three construction precincts for the project: West Gate Freeway, Tunnels, and Port to City.

The tunnel and new lanes on the West Gate Freeway, Footscray Road and Wurundjeri Way will open to traffic in late 2025.