Port of Melbourne welcomes the official opening of the West Gate Tunnel, an alternative to the West Gate Bridge, reducing travel times and providing trucks additional direct access connection to Port of Melbourne from the West Gate Freeway and CityLink at both Mackenzie Road and Appleton Dock Road.
This critical infrastructure will support the efficient movement of goods across Melbourne and beyond, including helping trucks bypass up to 17 sets of traffic lights, saving up to 13 minutes in travel time to the port.
Truck operators are also expected to benefit from strengthened ramps and bridges with better weight capacity.
Port of Melbourne Chief Executive Officer, Saul Cannon, stated it will provide the port users with improved connectivity and help alleviate congestion on key routes, which is vital for supporting an efficient and resilient freight supply chain.
Complementing the Tunnel, the six 24/7 no-truck zones and a night-time and weekend no-truck zone in the inner west is expected to move approximately 9,000 trucks a day off residential streets, providing safer roads, improved local air quality, and less truck noise enhancing safety and amenity for local communities.
