Long West Gate Freeway delays ahead as lanes close for tunnel finishing touches to be applied

A busy section of the West Gate Freeway is being limited to three lanes for almost six weeks as finishing touches are added to the city’s new $10.2bn toll road, including cladding crafted to look like an Aboriginal eel net.

A busy section of the West Gate Freeway is being limited to three lanes for almost six weeks as finishing touches are applied to the city’s new $10.2bn toll road.

Crews are working 24/7 until the end of August to prepare the West Gate Tunnel for use late this year, and are asphalting lanes and ramps, as well as attaching 1629 massive metal cladding sheets to portal entrances.

More than 90 per cent of the silver cladding on the southern side of the 38m high outbound portal, which is designed to look like a traditional Aboriginal eel net.

This has allowed a 50m tall crane to start lifting panels that will cover the northern side of the portal, forcing the closure of one of the four lanes on the West Gate Freeway.

The West Gate Tunnel is nearing completion. Pictured is the southern ventilation stack behind refuge tanks. Picture: Mark Stewart

The section that will be affected is between Williamstown and Millers roads, with barriers and drainage being installed along the freeway at the same time.

From mid-August, there will be closures of the Williamstown Rd outbound entry ramp and the Millers Rd outbound exit ramp, while there will be no access to the Grieve Pde outbound exit ramp from the West Gate Fwy.

Motorists heading to Melbourne’s west, who have been frustrated by West Gate Tunnel disruption for years, are being warned they face delays of up to 30 minutes until the next month.

Travel will also be impacted closer to the tunnel’s opening date, when intelligent systems used to smooth traffic on the freeway are tested.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams said the installation of the portal entrances was “complex and intricate, especially with hundreds of thousands of vehicles using the West Gate Freeway every day”.

Picture: Mark Stewart

“We thank drivers for their patience as we progress these important works to get the project ready for opening later this year,” she said.

The winter roadworks have been likened to a final push to the finish line, with crews on sites 24/7 and a flurry of activity on remaining sites.

Project sources are confident that the road, which will link the freeway to CityLink and cost up to $16.78 a day for cars to use, will be open later this year as promised.

Since it was proposed in 2015 by tolling giant Transurban, the road has been plagued by controversy, including a three-year delay due to a dispute over toxic soil disposal and cost overruns that added almost $4bn to its price tag.

Builders have recently complained about further overruns, expected to be push the total cost of the road towards $12bn.

Once open, the tunnel is expected to take tens of thousands of cars and trucks off the West Gate Bridge, providing up to 20 minutes travel savings for motorists.