Toll costs revealed for $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel

Despite the West Gate Tunnel not likely to be open until 2022, the price of tolls is already soaring, with motorists set to be stung a hefty price for their weekly commute.

Motorists will cough up about $45 a week if they want to get in and out of the CBD using the West Gate Tunnel once the new road opens.

Drivers coming from the western suburbs and Geelong face a toll of about $5.64 if they use the new road to get to work between 7am and 9am on weekdays.

Outside of the morning rush — including to get home in the evening — they will pay about $3.52 per trip.

The Herald Sun can reveal the size of the West Gate Tunnel tolls, based on a sweetheart deal with toll road giant Transurban that passed through state Parliament earlier this year.

The West Gate Tunnel will cost about $45 a week to use once its opens. Picture: Supplied

Transurban is tipped to rake in $217 million in toll revenue from the long-awaited second river crossing in the year after it opens in 2022, and also has a generous tolling extension on its main cash cow CityLink.

Tolls for the road were first published in the West Gate Tunnel project agreement in 2015, with a minimum fee of $2.75 and a peak hour city access charge of $4.40.

However, the Herald Sun can reveal that those tolls were subject to quarterly price hikes right up until the time the road opens.

Under the terms of the deal, prices climb by 4.25 per cent a year until 2029, and in line with inflation after that.

WEST GATE TUNNEL INFO GRAPH

This means by the time the tunnel is ready to be driven through at the end of 2022, fees for using the road off-peak will soar to $3.52, and $5.64 during the morning peak.

The increases are linked to CityLink toll hikes, meaning motorists using the West Gate Tunnel will pay the same amount as those crossing the Bolte Bridge.

This is to ensure drivers aren’t choosing between the two toll routes based on price, but by which has the best traffic flow.

The state Government promises the project — including twin tunnels under Yarraville and four extra lanes on the West Gate Freeway — will slash travel times into the city by up to 20 minutes.

The West Gate Tunnel is expected to take 28,000 vehicles off the West Gate Bridge and 22,000 vehicles off the Bolte Bridge every day, while also removing 9000 trucks a day from local streets.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien questioned why the toll fees were rising before the West Gate Tunnel opened.

The Tunnel is expected to cut travel times by 20 minutes

The cutting head of a tunnel boring machine being used to drill under Melbourne’s inner west. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“Only Daniel Andrews and Transurban would set tolls for a road that hasn’t even been built. Their decision will ensure that Victorian motorists are forced to pay even more when the road finally opens,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Victorians already pay the highest taxes and charges in the country; this will only make it worse.”

But project bosses argue toll prices are communicated in today’s dollars to make them easily comparable to charges on other roads.

“The West Gate Tunnel will be tolled to help fund its construction and balance demand on the freeway network,” a West Gate Tunnel Project spokeswoman said.

“Once complete it will save people 20 minutes coming from the west.”

“Building the West Gate Tunnel means that incidents on the West Gate Bridge will no longer bring Melbourne to a standstill, because drivers will have an alternative route to and from the west.”

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Projections published by Victoria’s Parliamentary Budget Office suggest toll revenue from the West Gate Tunnel will reach $422 million by 2031.

By this point, up to 67,000 vehicles — including as many as 16,200 trucks — are expected to be using the tunnel every day, according to traffic modelling prepared for the project.

The PBO’s analysis, released earlier this year, calculates that the new road will generate $10.7 billion in toll revenue for Transurban by 2045.