Point Henry Rd, Moolap to Beach Rd, Avalon tunnel raised by Ratio consultants

A proposed tunnel to loop Geelong will take traffic away from the CBD and pedestrianise streets, making the whole city “more liveable”.

Ben Krastins and James Hamilton. Planning consultancy Ratio has raised a proposal for a 5km tunnel between Point Henry and Avalon to ease congestion and provide other economic benefits.

A 5km tunnel would be bored under Corio Bay to bust congestion, divert vehicles off the Ring Road and move freight, under a long-term proposal raised by a major planning, transport and design consultancy.

Ratio consultants, which operate out of Geelong, said travel time between Avalon, and the intersection of Point Henry Rd and Portarlington Rd at Moolap, could be slashed by at least 20 minutes if the tunnel was built.

The idea, yet to be considered but alluded to in a state government document, is being floated as part of the Future Geelong series.

The Geelong Advertiser is running the series to examine how the city’s potential can be unlocked.

Map of proposed Corio tunnel between Point Henry and Avalon

Transport senior associate at Ratio, Ben Krastins, said the tunnel could connect to Beach Rd, Avalon near the airport and be modelled on the Channel Tunnel in Europe.

“We’ve got to think beyond the realms of this being another Domain Tunnel going under the Yarra River, it might be something like the Channel Tunnel which connects the UK and France,” Mr Krastins said.

“(The Geelong tunnel could) be used to move freight with terminals at each end where you drop and pick up shipping containers.”

High-speed passenger trains, freight trains and a shuttle for cars travel through the Channel Tunnel.

Planning senior associate at Ratio, James Hamilton, said roads feeding the tunnel could be connected to a planned extension of the Geelong Ring Road between Surf Coast Highway and Barwon Heads Rd, and eventually a further section of the Ring Rd to Portarlington Rd.

“A link road across the bay would complete a loop around Geelong. It has the opportunity to de-congest the inner city, by diverting traffic and providing an alternative loop to Melbourne, the Bellarine and the Great Ocean Road.”

Mr Hamilton said a tunnel would allow some of the CBD streets to be repurposed.

“Take the traffic away (from some CBD streets) pedestrianise them, get green spines in different locations, and that ultimately makes a more livable city.”

A tunnel under Corio Bay would likely be a billion-dollar, years-long process that would need to consider the impact on the environmentally sensitive area at Point Lillias.

Proposals for a transport link across Corio Bay, favouring a bridge, have been floated in previous decades.

In 2019 the state government’s plan for Point Henry said the idea needed to be contemplated and not excluded from future thinking.

“In addition to the potential connection to the proposed Bellarine Link, there is a strategic long-term possibility for a future northern access across Corio Bay as an eastern alternative route to Avalon and Melbourne.

A transport link across Corio Bay was previously backed by City of Greater Geelong councillor Eddy Kontelj who said it would be a solution to CBD congestion.

Geelong Advertiser reader Spencer Leighton from Torquay wrote recently a bridge across Corio Bay was needed.

“As Geelong’s population explodes.... Anglesea to Portarlington will be prime development areas. All these areas will need an eastern outlet.”

Originally published as Point Henry Rd, Moolap to Beach Rd, Avalon tunnel raised by Ratio consultants