WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE
WEST GATE?
ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE TALKS TO KEY WEST GATE TUNNEL STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT PROGRESS ON ONE OF VICTORIA’S MOST SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
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elbourne is the nation’s fastest growing capital city and is on-track to overtake Sydney as Australia’s largest within 40 years. While population growth might not be inherently problematic on its own, it does bring a range of challenges, notably stress to city infrastructure and road networks. The Victorian government, in partnership with Transurban, is attempting to mitigate these challenges with the West Gate Tunnel (WGT) project. The state government WGT project summary highlights Melbourne’s west as one of the city’s fastest growing regions. According to the summary, this is due to a combination of land use changes, urban renewal in the inner suburbs, and residential development in the outer suburbs. Melbourne drivers will likely attest this growth is being felt on the West Gate Bridge, which is nearing capacity and sees up to 220,000 vehicles each day. The project summary estimates this will grow to 270,000 by 2031. Additionally, the summary notes Melbourne’s role as a national import and export logistics hub as a driving force behind the WGT concept. “Container trade through the port of Melbourne is forecast to grow steeply, reaching eight million standard containers a year by 2035 – 3.5 times the current level,” the summary indicates. “Growing freight activity is increasing demand for the movement of goods on the city’s freeways, changing preferred access routes to and from the Port of Melbourne and leading to additional heavy freight traffic moving from the port through the inner west.” 20
ROADS JULY 2019
The WGT intends to shift Melbourne’s reliance on the West Gate Bridge and facilitate new connections to the city. Roads and Infrastructure Magazine explores how. PLANNING The WGT construction contract was awarded to a joint venture between CPB Contractors and John Holland in 2017. The project’s engineering and design contract was awarded to a Aurecon and Jacobs Joint Venture (AJJV) in 2018. AJJV was awarded the contract after developing a concept for the project, involving extensive stakeholder and community engagement and technical investigations to enhance the initial proposal. Design Director, Mark Percival, says the West Gate Tunnel will provide a second Yarra River crossing and alternative route to the West Gate Bridge, improving the local amenity of the region and upgrading connectivity from the city to the developing western suburbs. According to Mr. Percival, the project will improve connections between Melbourne’s west, the city centre and it’s major ports. “Jobs like this are few and far between, and a single consultancy would struggle to mobilise a large enough team to deliver detailed design during the peak delivery period. Jacobs and Aurecon are culturally aligned companies and we have worked together successfully in the past,” says Mr. Percival. “The complexity and size of the project relies on a collaborative team effort, which cannot be achieved without setting the right culture from day one.”
Mr. Percival says public and media attention on the WGT has centred largely on the tunnel itself, with many unaware the project encompasses three distinct work zones - surface works to the west, twin bored tunnels and 20 kilometres of
