A major milestone for Victoria was marked with the opening of the West Gate Tunnel to motorists in December. One of the state’s largest-ever urban road projects, the West Gate Tunnel is transformative infrastructure that provides a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge and eases congestion for Melbourne’s growing population.
The project delivers better connections between Melbourne’s west and the CBD, while new walking and cycling paths, and open spaces make the west an even better place for the community. This city-shaping project showcases the breadth of John Holland’s capability and was delivered with the added complexity of working in a live traffic environment.
Key features of the West Gate Tunnel include:
- Twin tunnels under Yarraville, removing over 9,000 trucks from residential streets and providing quicker access to Melbourne’s west and the Port of Melbourne
- A second river crossing over the Maribyrnong River and dual elevated viaducts with three lanes in each direction above Footscray Road, connecting the tunnels into the existing tollway network
- Reconstruction and four-lane widening of the West Gate Freeway, including new dedicated express lanes and freeway entry ramp signalling
- Major ramp capacity upgrades at the M80/Princes/West Gate Freeway interchange and CityLink connections
- New inbound and outbound Hyde Street ramps for direct freight access to local industry and ports
- Dedicated ramp connections into the Port of Melbourne, CityLink, Dynon Road and Footscray Road
- 14km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, including the 2.5km elevated Dixon Veloway — the first of its kind in Australia — offering cyclists a safer, express route from Melbourne’s west to the CBD
- Nine hectares of new parks and wetlands
- Modification of major rail infrastructure including Melbourne Operations Terminal, Port freight, E-gate, MTM and V/Line track and signalling works
- Wurundjeri Way city bypass — Melbourne’s first city bypass in 25 years — removing thousands of vehicles from busy city streets such as Spencer and King
John Holland’s design and construction joint venture team delivered all surface and tunnelling works, fit-out and commissioning of mechanical, electrical, tolling and intelligent transport systems.
Despite challenges along the way, the project team demonstrated resilience and commitment to deliver for our customer and the people of Melbourne.
The West Gate Tunnel is now open and ready to shape the future of Melbourne’s transport network.
