From toxic soil and industrial standoffs, Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel finally emerges for motorists to use on Sunday | Transport
After years of delays, cost overruns and the discovery of toxic soil that triggered a legal battle, Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel will finally open on Sunday.
The $10.2 billion project, consisting of 6.8 km of tunnels and 9.2 km of elevated roads, will provide a new river crossing and serve as an alternative to the West Gate Bridge.
Announcing Sunday’s opening date on Friday, Premier Jacinta Allan said it would “transform” the way drivers move around the city and state.
“This is a project as big and impressive as they are, involving much more than just two tunnels,” Allan said.
“This is also a project that expands the West Gate Highway and adds extra capacity to the West Gate Highway. [and] “As well as providing direct access to the Port of Melbourne, it also provides alternative access to all parts of the city, particularly the northern parts of the city.”
Allan also highlighted 14km of new walking and cycling links, including a 2.5km veloway, a covered cycle path connecting Footscray to Docklands, as well as a 24-hour truck ban that will come into force on local streets when the tunnel opens.
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Roads minister Melissa Horne said 9,000 trucks were expected to be removed from streets in Melbourne’s inner west, although she said the national HGV regulator would “focus on education” rather than issuing immediate fines.
Horne said it would “take some time” for motorists to get used to the new road network and that the opening “will not be without its challenges”.
The project was a joint venture between the government and toll road operator Transurban, which presented the project to the Andrews government in 2014. Construction began in early 2018 and was initially scheduled to be completed in September 2022.
But the discovery of toxic soil, a common problem in former industrial areas like where the tunnel is being built, led to a legal standoff between the government, Transurban and the project’s builders, contributing to delays and a $3.4 billion budget blowout.
Transurban contributed $6.1 billion to the construction cost of the project in exchange for operating fees for the new road and a 10-year extension of the CityLink contract.
Under the agreement, drivers will be fined $4.09 for a car, $6.54 for a minibus or pickup truck, or $6.54 and $10.47 respectively if they leave Dynon Road, Footscray Road or Wurundjeri Way between 7am and 9am, the morning rush hour.
The toll is in addition to existing CityLink fares; This means a car going through the West Gate Tunnel and via the Tullamarine Highway to Melbourne Airport will pay $10.63.
Allan defended the tolls, saying drivers are given more options.
“It’s just in the newer parts of the infrastructure,” he said. “There are so many other ways to get around our city and our state, so it gives people a choice — you can choose the bridge or the tunnel,” he said.
He also said travel would be free on weekends in January, after calling on Transurban to meet the government’s commitment to free public transport over the summer to coincide with the opening of the Metro Tunnel.
Labor, now in its third term and slumping in the polls, is pinning its hopes on both infrastructure projects to provide political capital ahead of the November 2026 state election.
