Megaproject officially opens after decade of delays, toxic soil battles
After a decade of tumultuous planning, cost doublings and years of delays caused by disputes over toxic soil, the West Gate Tunnel, a major new toll road aimed at easing congestion in Melbourne’s west, opened to the public on Sunday morning.
The $10.2 billion project, comprising 6.8 kilometers of tunnels connecting Melbourne’s west to the CBD, officially opened at 7am, following a limited opening just after midnight.
The new tunnel was almost empty at 8.30am on Sunday morning; A handful of cars and trucks were using the new road between Dynon Road in West Melbourne and Millers Road in Altona North.
The West Gate Bridge alternative is projected to serve 67,000 vehicles a day at its peak, removing 28,000 trucks from the bridge and suburban streets in Melbourne’s inner west.
A month of free travel in the tunnel on weekends will begin in January.
Consisting of three lanes in each direction, the road leads below the Western Gate Expressway, with large architectural “fishing nets” rising above the tunnel’s entrances and exits.
The entrance to the West Gate Tunnel on Sunday morning. Credit: Penny Stephens
The largest, at the northern entrance to Yarraville, is 38 meters high and wide and consists of 364 laminated timber beams.
Green and rainbow lights illuminate the walls of the tunnel at different intervals.
