West Gate Tunnel barrier replacement to coincide with summer freeway closure

The $10.8bn West Gate Tunnel project could be facing further disruptions with hundreds of metres of graffiti-ravaged barriers cleaned up, putting more pressure on the budget.

The trouble-plagued $10.8bn West Gate Tunnel is facing more disruption and bills, this time to remove graffiti blighting hundreds of metres of new barriers and noise walls.

Unsightly scrawls have been daubed by vandals in areas so dangerous to reach that crews can only clean them if West Gate Freeway lanes are shut, or speed limits are lowered.

In an attempt to keep disruption to long-suffering motorists in Melbourne’s west to a minimum, the builders are aiming to plan the clean-ups to coincide with scheduled overnight lane closures through summer.

But the extra works are a further complication and will add cost pressures to a project already on course to be delivered three years late and $4.1bn over budget.

A spokeswoman for the project said graffiti around Millers Rd Bridge in Altona and two new bridges at Hyde St in Yarraville had been removed recently, but that the structures had been targeted repeatedly by vandals.

Graffiti around and under West Gate Freeway at the Millers Rd on and off ramps. Picture: Brendan Beckett

“We are carrying out graffiti removal throughout the construction period when it is safe for motorists and workers to do so,” the spokeswoman said.

The safety of motorists and workers while some of the graffiti is removed is posing headaches for the builders, given some of the precarious positions vandals have reached.

Freeway lanes would need to be closed, the project said, or traffic management systems and speed limits put in place, when some of the scrawls were removed.

This would also require approvals from transport authorities.

Amid fears the graffiti scourge could blight the huge corridor of concrete walls and bridges for years to come, toll road operator Transurban has also pledged to proactively monitor vandals once it takes control of the tunnel, installing a network of surveillance cameras.

Anti-graffiti coatings are being applied to concrete beams and walls in a bid to make any future vandalism easier to remove.

Some graffiti removal has already been done by the project builders, John Holland and CPB, with plans to get rid of remaining eyesores in coming weeks.

Vandals graffiti the concrete barriers. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Transurban, which will take over the road when it is finished, said other major projects had faced similar challenges posed by vandals and “we share the frustration of the community when property is vandalised”.

“Transurban already proactively prevents graffiti on our roads by identifying graffiti hot spots on our network and installing surveillance,” a spokeswoman said.

“We also have designated workers focused on regular graffiti removal. We will apply this approach to the new roads and tunnels when they open.”

The West Gate Tunnel is scheduled to open in 2025, three years late and $4.1bn over budget due to legal disputes over cost overruns and how to dispose of contaminated soil.

Taxpayers are being stung almost $2bn for the overruns.

Solid progress has been made on the build in the past year, with inbound and outbound tunnels now paved and mechanical and safety systems being installed.

A sweeping 760m elevated bridge between CityLink and the tunnel has also been built, with concrete road decks being installed.

Once opened, motorists are promised travel savings of up to 20 minutes from the west.

Originally published as West Gate Tunnel barrier replacement to coincide with summer freeway closure