Docklands News tours the West Gate Tunnel Project

A busload of curious locals set out for a behind the scenes tour of the West Gate Tunnel Project on Saturday, July 27, as part of the Open House Melbourne weekend.

After exploring the project’s Info Centre in Yarraville, and queueing up for a complimentary coffee, visitors filed on to a bus and departed for a guided tour of the project’s east zone, travelling along the Maribyrnong River, up Footscray Rd and into Docklands.

A project engineer explained the different kinds of infrastructure that was being built, including some of the largest steel girder bridges in Australia, and the 2.5-kilometre veloway – a bright green elevated cycling highway that will run from Footscray to Docklands.

The veloway is currently being lifted into place in segments and suspended underneath a new motorway that runs above Footscray Rd. The veloway is made up of about 195 segments, 40 of which have now been installed.

Also taking shape is the new pedestrian and cycling bridge, which will replace a busy crossing that connects cyclists travelling through Docklands to the Moonee Ponds Creek trail.

Visitors asked about the timeline of the project, the various road and tunnel connections and future journeys that drivers and cyclists will take.

The West Gate Tunnel Project began construction in 2018, and the tunnel and new lanes on the West Gate Freeway, Footscray Rd and Wurundjeri Way will open to traffic in late 2025. •