5 April 2023 to 30 August 2023
Tunnel boring machine Vida breakthrough and demobilization
Tunnelling is almost complete for the 2.8 km city-bound tunnel for the West Gate Tunnel Project. Our tunnel
boring machine (TBM) Vida, is expected to arrive at the Williamstown Road tunnel portal site in February. As
there is limited space to leave sections of the TBM onsite once it arrives, Vida will need to be taken apart and
large sections transported back to the tunnelling hub at 221 Whitehall Street, Yarraville.
From February until mid-year 2023, the West Gate Tunnel Project will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to
take apart the TBM in the retrieval pit. It will be lifted out of the retrieval pit, piece by piece, by a gantry crane
and transported to the tunnelling hub and the Flower Market on Footscray Road.
We will be in touch with local communities to discuss these works further. We’d like to talk with residents and
businesses about how we’ll be monitoring and reducing construction impacts, as well as the options available
to you if you experience impacts during the work. We encourage you to contact us on 1800 105 105 or
info@wgta.vic.gov.au to learn more about the next steps.
What to expect and when
| Impact | Date |
|---|---|
24/7 construction noise including:
Minor vibration may occur during our work. We’ll be closely monitoring vibration at all times. |
February to mid-2023 |
Construction vehicle movements in the area, 24/7, including:
|
February to mid-2023 |
|
Occasional night closures of the West Gate Freeway’s Williamstown Road inbound exit ramp with detours via Millers Road, Blackshaws Road and Melbourne Road. This ramp is due to be closed several times at night when large sections of the TBM need to be removed on superloads. We’ll inform local communities of ramp closures via bigbuild.vic.gov.au/disruptions, social media and email updates. |
February to mid-2023 |
|
Night-time lighting to keep our working areas safe and secure. Lighting will be angled away from homes whenever possible while we are working at night. |
February to mid-2023 |
View a map of the location, or download the notification.
More detail on what to expect
- We’ll be working during the day and at night
- In the lead up to the breakthrough, there will be 24/7 works in the retrieval pit
- Water spraying trucks and road sweepers will be used in local streets around our worksites, keeping local roads clean during construction
- You may experience changes in local traffic conditions while we’re at work
- We’ll be in touch with the most affected residents to discuss potential impacts.
Thank you
We appreciate our work can be disruptive and thank you for your understanding and patience. Works may be rescheduled in the event of unexpected impacts.
For updates or questions, please call 1800 105 105, email us at info@wgta.vic.gov.au, or you can drop into our Info Centre at 2 Somerville Road, Yarraville, 3013, from 10am–5pm on Monday–Friday or 10am–4pm on Saturday for further information on the project.