28 March 2024
When we'll be doing
We'll continue working 24/7 at the southern tunnel exit site between Millers Road and Newport railway line thorughout 2024.
What we'll be doing
The West Gate Tunnel Project is continuing works at the southern outbound tunnel exit near Millers Road, South Kingsville.
Construction activities continue 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These activities include installing an innovative timber net structure, constructing the ventilation structure and installing the cladding, completing the connections to existing roads, surface works and construction of the tunnel power substation.
If any of these works are expected to be particularly disruptive, we will be in touch before they begin.
Timber Net Structure
The timber beams for the southern outbound tunnel will be delivered and installed on site very soon. The structure will be constructed by attaching the steel support connections before connecting the timber beams together. The innovative structure ensures a comfortable and safe lighting transition for drivers in and out of the tunnels and is expected to take around nine months to build.
Ventilation Structure
The ventilation structure is made of concrete with a steel frame and diagonally placed panels wrapped around the outside. Reaching around 50 meters in height, the ventilation structure will become a new architectural landmark.
Work to build the West Gate Tunnel’s ventilation structure on the West Gate Freeway, between Newport railway and Millers Road is ongoing, with work currently underway to build the concrete walls of the structure.
These works include placing reinforcement steel and pouring concrete, and installing a large temporary formwork system required for the concrete wall pours. Once the walls have been built, the steel frame and architectural panels will be lifted and attached to the exterior.
TBM Retrieval Pit
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) retrieval pit will require installation of waterproofing and pre-cast elements over the next few months. The electrical works will continue throughout 2024, preparing the tunnel for installation of equipment such as traffic management technologies, electrical wiring, lights and air-extraction fans.
Ongoing Monitoring
You may see our team carrying out water sampling as part of our regular groundwater monitoring requirements to confirm that groundwater movement is as expected. This is common for tunnel construction areas. You may also see the groundwater monitoring team around local streets and parks installing further monitoring equipment and eventually demobilising the existing monitoring systems. These works may include traffic changes for local roads and occasional nightworks, with minimal noise impacts to surrounding residents and businesses. We’ll be in touch if any of this work is going to be particularly disruptive.
| Impact | Date |
|---|---|
24/7 construction noise including: Construction vehicle movements in the area, including trucks accessing site. Timber net and ventilation structure construction involving:
Minor vibration may occur during our work. We’ll be closely monitoring vibrationat all times. | Ongoing |
|
Night-time lighting to keep our working areas safe. Lighting will be angled away from homes where possible while we are working at night. | Ongoing |
|
Occasional road and lane closures. Details will be available at bigbuild.vic.gov.au/disruptions | Ongoing |
Construction vehicle movements in the area, 24/7, including:
| Ongoing |
Permanent visual changes as the new timber net and ventilation structures begins to take shape. These works include installing steel supports and building the timber net and building the ventilation structure walls with the cladding. Other finishing works will take place after the concrete structure is built. | Ongoing |
More information
We appreciate our work can be disruptive and thank you for your understanding. Works may be rescheduled in the event of unexpected impacts.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the project, call us on 1800 105 105, 24 hours a day. Sign up for regular project updates at westgatetunnelproject.vic.gov.au/subscribe