Landfill deal gives hope to stalled West Gate Tunnel

A key deal over toxic soil could be the move that finally gets the troubled West Gate Tunnel back on track.

A landfill site north of Melbourne is set to sign a deal to take toxic soil from the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel, in a move that could finally get the troubled project back on track.
The Herald Sun understands the road’s builders, John Holland and CPB, have backed Hi Quality’s tip in Bulla, north of Melbourne Airport, to take tunnelling spoil.

The Bulla site is one of three landfills that were in the running for the contract, and would see a purpose-built facility created at the tip to store material contaminated by industrial chemicals and waste such as PFAS.

While the project parties, including tolling giant Transurban, still need to sign off on details, the selection of the site is significant because it signals the project is progressing.

Tunnelling works had effectively stalled for the past 18 months during a messy dispute about what to do with the soil, as well as costs associated with the crisis.

Work has stalled on the West Gate Tunnel in Melbourne. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Testing at Bulla has shown the maximum level of PFAS detected in the soil would be between zero and 0.7 micrograms per litre — a level at which environmental watchdogs would class as safe to swim in.

A special cap would be built into the facility to ensure no chemicals leached into groundwater.

The Bulla site is likely to cause less community angst than a rival bid put forward by Maddingley Brown Coal in Bacchus Marsh, which was subject to multiple legal challenges.

However, Hume Council decided in April to seek a judicial review of Planning Minister Richard Wynne’s approval of the Bulla site.
Both sites were also ticked off by the EPA earlier this year.

The toxic soil crisis, first revealed by the Herald Sun in 2019, led to builders John Holland and CPB trying to scupper their deal with Transurban to build the road.

Talks have focused recently on who would pay for massive project overruns, with both parties trying to rope in taxpayers to share some of the burden.

Toxic soil has stalled the $6.7 billion road project. Picture: Ian Currie

The budget for the $6.7bn project is expected to blow out by billions of dollars.

An independent expert report found force majeure claims by John Holland and CPB should not be upheld, but that the Andrews Government should be liable for some costs.

A spokeswoman for Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the landfill issue was a matter for Transurban and project builders.

“They’ve had four years to sort this out — they need to get on with it and start tunnelling,” she said.

The Hi Quality tip was nominated by Transurban and project builders after a tender process across three possible sites.
Planning an environmental approvals have been obtained by the company, meaning the facility could be ready within about six months.

As revealed by the Herald Sun, this means it’s unlikely major works will begin until next year — the same year the road was supposed to open to motorists.

Originally published as Landfill deal gives hope to stalled West Gate Tunnel