Traffic and freight on the West Gate Freeway

More than 200,000 vehicles a day rely on the West Gate Bridge, and a single incident can stop traffic. In addition, trucks in the west have no alternative but to use local roads just to get to the port.

The West Gate Tunnel project will help reduce congestion, provide a dedicated link to the port and connect people to jobs, education and services.

Benefits for commuters

The delivery of this vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge will:

help ease congestion on the freeway by adding 4 new lanes, cutting 20 minutes travel time and making it safer for passenger and freight vehicles to share the road. Give drivers an alternative to the West Gate Bridge via a second river crossing over the Maribyrnong River
improve travel between regional Victoria and Melbourne. Drivers travelling on the Princes Freeway from Geelong or the Western Freeway from Ballarat will enjoy an upgraded M80 interchange, as well as direct access to the CBD and to CityLink via the new elevated road. This offers alternative routes to the airport and to Melbourne’s north, south and southeast suburbs.

What we’re delivering

An aerial view of the port, with cranes in the foreground.

Direct connections to the port

When the project opens, there will be:

twin tunnels under Yarraville between the West Gate Freeway and the Maribyrnong River, creating a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge and easing congestion on trips between the west and the city
a much needed second river crossing through a new bridge over the Maribyrnong river
direct freeway connections to the Port, and new ramps from the West gate Freeway to Hyde Street saving trucks up to 50% travel time
50% more capacity on the West Gate Freeway from M80 Ring Road interchange to the West Gate Bridge with 2 new through lanes in each direction
direct connections primarily servicing the freight industry at Mackenzie Road, Appleton Dock Road and Hyde Street.

An artist impression of the widened West Gate Freeway.

A faster, safer commute

a full freeway management system, offering improved travel time reliability and safety
a strengthened West Gate Freeway, providing a heavy vehicle route for High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFV) from Webb Dock and Swanson Dock all the way to the M80 Ring Road
express lanes to the West Gate Bridge for vehicles heading to south of the city and the south eastern suburbs
upgrades to interchanges to better accommodate freight vehicles.

Benefits for the freight industry

The total volume of freight in Victoria is forecast to increase from 15 billion tonnes in 2012 to 33 billion in 2046.

Currently, truck drivers travelling on the West Gate Freeway only have 2 options: take a longer and less efficient route via the West Gate Bridge and Bolte Bridge, or an increasingly slow and congested trip along inner-west arterial roads.

A freight ship heading towards the West Gate Bridge.

What we're delivering

The West Gate Tunnel Project will provide:

a non-residential route to the port for over-height and placarded loads.
a wider freeway 3 express lanes from the M80 to the West Gate Bridge for quicker, safer trips.
strengthened bridges along the freeway and motorway for High Productivity Freight vehicles.
an essential west-to-port connection for freight industry drivers, offering direct access to the port via ramps at Mackenzie Road, Appleton Dock Road and Hyde Street. These ramps will allow trucks to bypass up to 17 sets of traffic lights.

High productivity freight vehicle road access

Victoria’s freight industry will also benefit from greater efficiency due to improved high productivity freight vehicle (HPFV) road access.

As part of the development of the West Gate Tunnel Project, all new structures constructed for the project will be built to SM1600 (160 tonne) and all existing bridges along the West Gate Freeway between the M80 interchange and Williamstown Road will be strengthened to 75% of SM1600, which will accommodate up to 110 tonne loads depending on vehicle configurations.

The West Gate Tunnel Project increases the opportunity to use HPFVs, which will improve productivity of the freight network by allowing greater freight volumes to be moved on fewer loads.

This will prove increasingly important as the port capacity expands through growing trade and the expansion of the Webb Dock, as well as the trend for greater freight travel distances as industrial land relocates further from the port.

Freeway management system

We’re installing a new freeway management system on the West Gate Freeway. The system uses smart technology to improve safety and efficiency of travel using a combination of:

lane use management signs
stop/go lights on freeway entry ramps
CCTV cameras
travel time information signs
electronic variable message signs
automatic incident detection systems.

Making merging easier

Weaving and merging where cars and trucks are trying to get on and off at different ramps, is a common cause of congestion.

Ramp signals will be used on entries to the West Gate Freeway to manage the flow of traffic needing to merge and help ease freeway congestion. Electronic message signs will let you know when the signals are operating.

New and improved ramp signals will be installed at:

City access points
- Dynon Road, Footscray Road and Wurundjeri Way to West Gate Tunnel Project
- West Gate Tunnel to CityLink
MacKenzie Road westbound
Williamstown Road westbound
Millers Road eastbound (dedicated truck lane)
Grieve Parade eastbound (dedicated truck lane)
M80 and Geelong Road to Princes Freeway
Princes Freeway and M80 to West Gate Tunnel.