Melbourne Water fears impact of West Gate Tunnel bridge

MELBOURNE Water wants the West Gate Tunnel to go under — and not over — the Maribyrnong River, warning a bridge could a significant impact on the surrounding environment.

MELBOURNE Water wants the West Gate Tunnel to go under — and not over — the Maribyrnong River.

The proposed toll road through Melbourne’s west will use a bridge to cross the river and connect the tunnels with Footscray Rd, providing access to the Port of Melbourne and CityLink.

However, the water authority is pushing for the tunnel to go underneath the river, not over it.

Related: More noise barriers for West Gate Tunnel project

Melbourne Water has concerns about the design of the Maribyrnong River crossing, including 16 pylons in the water.

It says the infrastructure proposed and its impact on the urban environment and open space corridor is significant.

Melbourne Water’s general manager asset management services Gerald Fitzgibbon said it may be preferable to have a tunnel crossing rather than a bridge.

Melbourne Water has concerns about the Maribyrnong River crossing design, including 16 piers in the water. Picture: George Salpigtidis

“Our preference would be to have no piers in the waterway given issues around flooding and mitigation thereof,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“In an ideal world, if you can eliminate or minimise pylons in the floodway and the riverbed in the Maribyrnong itself, that would be our preference.”

The number of crossings over the Moonee Ponds Creek is also of concern with 14 pylons proposed in the creek.

The Dynon Rd crossing is in a section of the Moonee Ponds Creek which is unencumbered, has habitat value, and value as open space, says Melbourne Water.

These values will be compromised by this proposed crossing.

Melbourne Water says the Wurundjeri Way extension will also impact on Moonee Ponds Creek and its surrounds due to pylons in the waterway, and these impacts have not been adequately assessed.

The water authority says other parts of the $5.5 billion project have the potential to significantly impact waterways by the building of new assets such as new shared user paths, acoustic barriers, elevated road structures, and on and off ramps.

Shading of waterways has the potential to negatively impact aquatic ecology.

Melbourne Water says it is seeking to consult further with the Western Distributor Authority to explore opportunities to avoid or minimise impacts on its waterways and the broader waterway corridors.

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