Victorians have had their first look at one of Melbourne’s biggest road tunnels as cars are now able to drive the entire length of two new twin tunnels.

But the project remains years late and billions of dollars over budget.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson have driven the entire length of the four-kilometre outbound tunnel for the $10.2 billion West Gate Tunnel project.

Set to be complete next year, the project will offer an alternative to the heavily congested West Gate Bridge as motorists travel from Melbourne’s west into the city.

It includes widening of the West Gate Freeway from eight to twelve lanes, new twin tunnels under Yarraville, a bridge over the Maribyrnong River and an elevated road along Footscray Road that connects with CityLink (see map).

Also included are 14 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths as well as nine kilometres of new parks and wetland.

Once the project is complete, the Government expects travel time reductions of 20 minutes average between Melbourne’s west and the CBD as well as better safety and reliability of travel.

A key project benefit involves the anticipated removal of around 9,000 trucks each day off local roads.

Once the tunnel is open, 24-hours truck bans will apply on six local roads.

As well as the tunnels now being drivable on, a total of 31 cross passages linking the twin tunnels together are also complete. This will enable a 200 strong crew of tunnel workers to ramp up finishing works on the tunnel.

Situated at 120 metre intervals, these smaller tunnels aim to improve safety and to provide evacuation routes in the event of an emergency.

Work is also progressing to install more than 10,000 architectural panels on the walls of the tunnels – more than half of which are already in place.

The next major stage of works inside the tunnels will begin early next year. During this phase, crews will install lights, traffic management systems and asphalt on close to seven kilometres of the new underground roadway.

Above ground, construction is continuing on the landmark southern and northern portals. New  timber net structures have been designed designed to reflect the heritage of the west and its connection with the local waterways.

However, the project has not been without challenges.

Initially costed at $5.5 billion in 2025, the West Gate Tunnel’s price tag has almost doubled and now stands at $10.2 billion.

Whilst $1.2 billion of this overrun was due to a doubling in the length of the twin tunnels after the first plans were released, the remaining $3.7 billion was due to costs associated with the removal and disposal of contaminated soil.

Those contamination issues have also seen the project’s completion date blow out from an original date of September 2022 until next year.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen welcomed the latest progress.

“The West Gate Tunnel will slash travel times and change the way people get to and from the west.”

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