Easier access to industry
- Quicker and more direct access to the Port of Melbourne, reducing the need for trucks to travel on residential streets in Melbourne’s inner west.
- Express lanes from the M80 interchange to the West Gate Bridge mean less stopping, weaving and merging – saving time and fuel.
- Direct freeway links will bypass up to 17 sets of traffic lights – keeping trucks on the move.
- For quicker trips, use the M80 Ring Road or West Gate Freeway. Enter the tunnel on the West Gate Freeway near Williamstown Road. Then take exits to the port via MacKenzie Road or Appleton Dock Road.
Improvements on the West Gate Freeway
- Purpose-built roads, ramps and interchanges for trucks.
- A strengthened West Gate Freeway with higher clearances, including 4.6m tunnel clearance (+0.3m tolerance) in the tunnels.
- 50% more capacity on the West Gate Freeway, with 12 though lanes from the M80 interchange to the West Gate Bridge.
- A freeway capacity route via the West Gate Tunnel, which allows for loads of up to 110 tonnes.
Designed with safety in mind
- Smart road technology to keep traffic flowing smoothly and to manage and clear incidents quickly and safely.
- A dedicated route to the port for over-height and placarded loads that avoids residential streets.
New 24-hour no-truck zones
When the West Gate Tunnel opens, 6 key inner west roads will have 24-hour no-truck zones.
The no-truck zones will cover:
- Francis Street — between Roberts Street and Hyde Street.
- Somerville Road — between Geelong Road and Whitehall Street.
- Buckley Street and part of Napier Street — between Geelong Road and Whitehall Street.
- Moore Street — between Ballarat Road and Hopkins Street.
- Hudsons Road — between Melbourne Road and Booker Street.
- Blackshaws Road — between Grieve Parade and Melbourne Road.
A night-time and weekend no-truck zone will be in place on:
- Williamstown Road (8pm – 6am weekdays and at all times on weekends)
Only trucks with origins or destinations within the zones can be there otherwise you will need to find another route.
Roadside cameras will help monitor and enforce the no-truck zones. Exemptions will apply for trucks with local origins and destinations for activities like garbage collection, grocery deliveries, and moving houses. However, larger trucks heading to the port or empty container parks will no longer be able to use the 6 main residential streets once the tunnel is open.
More information can be found on the Removing trucks from the inner west fact sheet.
Get ready to drive the West Gate Tunnel - view our Guide for Freight Drivers.
Tolls and your trip
Heavy commercial vehicles (HCVs) or long heavy commercial vehicles (LHCVs) will pay a single total toll when travelling on the West Gate Freeway, West Gate Tunnel and city connections.
Businesses with fleets of cars have the option to set up commercial tolling accounts, with advanced features designed to help organisations track toll charges.
Visit the Transurban website to learn more about toll discounts and trip caps for heavy vehicles.