Victoria’s most expensive road project will welcome its first drivers on Sunday morning. The wait is almost over.
After nearly eight years of construction, political drama, and a price tag that doubled to $10.2 billion, the West Gate Tunnel in Victoria opens to traffic on 14 December 2025. Melbourne drivers will gain a second crossing under the Yarra River alongside the iconic West Gate Bridge.
The 17-kilometre corridor of new tunnels, ramps, bridges and elevated roadways represents the largest piece of road infrastructure completed in Melbourne since CityLink opened in 1998.
Two Tunnels, Two Names, One Game-Changer
The project’s twin tunnels received their official names just days before opening. The 4-kilometre outbound tunnel will be known as the Eureka Tunnel, honouring the spirit of Australian workers and forming a new gateway to Ballarat and western Victoria.
The 2.8-kilometre citybound tunnel carries the name Bundawanh Tunnel, meaning “he/she dug” in the language of the Bunurong people, the traditional owners of the land.
The outbound tunnel exit along the West Gate Freeway.
Premier Jacinta Allan announced the opening date alongside the tunnel names, marking a pivotal moment for Victoria’s transport network.
“The West Gate Tunnel will transform the way people travel from the west and create options for the more than 200,000 vehicles that use the West Gate Freeway every day,” the government stated in its official announcement.
What Drivers Can Expect
The West Gate Tunnel links the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville with the Port of Melbourne and CityLink at Docklands. Key features include:
- Twin tunnels under Yarraville with three lanes each
- West Gate Freeway widening from eight to 12 lanes between the M80 Ring Road and Williamstown Road
- New bridge over the Maribyrnong River
- Elevated “skyroad” above Footscray Road
- Direct ramps to Hyde Street for trucks carrying dangerous goods
Travel time savings are significant. Drivers can save up to 20 minutes between the city and Melbourne’s west, with trips to the Port of Melbourne from areas like Altona or Derrimut cut by up to 13 minutes.
The project will remove about 28,000 vehicles daily from the West Gate Bridge and take more than 9,000 trucks off residential streets in the inner west.
The Toll Question
The West Gate Tunnel operates as a toll road run by Transurban. However, there’s good news for early users.
All drivers can use the tunnel toll-free on weekends throughout January 2026. This gives thousands of Victorians a chance to test the new route before normal tolling begins.
Standard toll prices for light vehicles (cars and motorcycles) are:
- West Gate Tunnel toll: $3.29 to $3.61 depending on exit point
- Additional AM peak charge (7am-9am weekdays): $2.28 for exits to Footscray Road, Wurundjeri Way or Dynon Road
Heavy vehicles face a single toll on the upgraded West Gate Freeway between Williamstown Road and Millers Road, whether they use the tunnel or the bridge. This pricing structure removes the incentive to choose routes based on cost rather than safety.
The West Gate Bridge and West Gate Freeway remain toll-free for cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles.
Cycling Revolution Arrives Early
Melbourne cyclists got their Christmas present early. The Dixon Veloway opened on 7 December 2025, a week before the main tunnel launch.
This 2.5-kilometre elevated cycling path runs between Shepherd Bridge in Footscray and the city side of Moonee Ponds Creek. The bright green structure sits suspended beneath the new elevated roadway, completely separating riders from the massive truck traffic servicing the Port of Melbourne.
Australian cycling champion Cadel Evans joined the official opening alongside students from Footscray City Primary School.
The veloway removes six dangerous intersections for cyclists, including busy port entry and exit points. The two-lane path is four metres wide and includes lighting, CCTV, alarmed exits and emergency vehicle access.
“The veloway has been built with cyclist safety front and centre, taking out six intersections between Footscray and Docklands to give riders a clearer, safer run,” said Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams.
The structure weighs 1,700 tonnes and comprises 195 individually lifted segments. By the end of 2025, the West Gate Tunnel Project will deliver more than 14 kilometres of new and upgraded bike paths.
The new bridges over the Maribyrnong River.
No-Truck Zones Transform Inner West
From the tunnel’s opening, new 24/7 no-truck zones come into effect across Melbourne’s inner west. Heavy trucks will be banned around the clock on key residential corridors including:
- Francis Street and Somerville Road in Yarraville
- Buckley Street and Moore Street in Footscray
- Blackshaws Road in Altona North
- Hudsons Road in Spotswood
Williamstown Road becomes a night-time and weekend no-truck zone following community pressure and safety concerns.
Automatic enforcement cameras will monitor compliance. The bans are expected to remove more than 9,000 trucks daily from local streets and prevent another 5,000 from using residential “rat runs” to dodge freeway congestion.
Garbage trucks, tow trucks and emergency vehicles can still travel in these zones. Smaller delivery trucks for groceries, parcels and removalists are also exempt.
A Project Plagued by Problems
The West Gate Tunnel’s journey to completion has been anything but smooth. Originally scheduled to finish in September 2022 with a $5.5 billion budget, the project faced massive delays and cost overruns.
The main culprit? Contaminated soil. Difficulties in securing disposal sites for PFAS-contaminated soil and obtaining approvals pushed the completion date back three years.
In December 2021, the Victorian government reached a deal to end the construction stand-off. Transurban agreed to contribute an extra $2.2 billion towards costs, while builder CPB John Holland gave up all profit margins and took significant losses. Victorian taxpayers still faced an additional $1.9 billion bill.
A 2019 report by Victoria’s independent budget office found that by 2044-45, Transurban stands to make an extra $37 billion in nominal terms from the new CityLink tolls combined with West Gate Tunnel tolls.
Critics argued the government could have increased taxes, borrowed money, or opened the project to competitive tender instead of the deal struck with Transurban.
The project also faced safety concerns. In November, the United Firefighters Union urged the government to cancel a “Discovery Day” event allowing 50,000 people to walk through the tunnel, warning that emergency response testing wasn’t complete.
The government strongly rejected suggestions the tunnel was unsafe, saying multiple testing stages had been completed with detailed emergency management plans developed alongside Fire Rescue Victoria.
Advanced Safety Systems
Despite controversies, the West Gate Tunnel features state-of-the-art safety technology. More than 1,900 intelligent transport systems manage traffic, incidents and tunnel safety.
Advanced monitoring includes:
- 24/7 incident response teams
- Real-time traffic cameras throughout the tunnel
- Electronic message boards showing traffic conditions
- Ramp signals to control freeway entry during peak times
- Quick emergency vehicle access points
The freeway management system controls traffic flow both on and entering the freeway, helping journeys stay safer and more reliable.
What Happens Sunday Morning
From early Sunday morning, drivers approaching from the M80 Ring Road or Princes Freeway will need to choose between the West Gate Bridge and the new tunnel. Lane choice matters early.
For the tunnel: Take the left lanes on the West Gate Freeway near Williamstown Road.
For the bridge: Keep right for express lanes.
After exiting the tunnel, overhead signs direct drivers to CityLink, Dynon Road, Wurundjeri Way or Footscray Road in Docklands.
Drivers need an active tolling account or pass. Linkt account holders can use the same account across the West Gate Tunnel, CityLink and other Australian toll roads. Without an account, vehicle owners receive a toll invoice including the unpaid toll plus an administration fee.
The Bigger Picture
The West Gate Tunnel represents Victoria’s largest transport infrastructure investment in a generation. Whether the final $10.2 billion price tag delivers value for money remains a matter of heated debate.
What’s certain is that from Sunday morning, Melbourne’s west gains genuine travel options for the first time in decades. The West Gate Bridge, opened in 1978, will finally have the alternative crossing engineers have argued it needs.
For 200,000 daily freeway users, 9,000 trucks seeking port access, and thousands of cyclists commuting from the west, the wait is almost over.
The West Gate Tunnel opens to traffic from early morning on Sunday, 14 December 2025.
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FAQ
Q: When does the West Gate Tunnel open?
A: The West Gate Tunnel opens to traffic from early morning on Sunday, 14 December 2025.
Q: Is the West Gate Tunnel free?
A: No, the West Gate Tunnel is a toll road operated by Transurban. However, all drivers can use it toll-free on weekends throughout January 2026. After that, standard tolls apply ranging from $3.29 to $3.61 for light vehicles depending on your exit point.
Q: How much time will the tunnel save?
A: Drivers can save up to 20 minutes between Melbourne’s west and the city. Trips to the Port of Melbourne from western suburbs like Altona or Derrimut will be up to 13 minutes faster.
Q: What is the Dixon Veloway?
A: The Dixon Veloway is a 2.5-kilometre elevated cycling path that opened on 7 December 2025. It runs between Shepherd Bridge in Footscray and Moonee Ponds Creek, giving cyclists a safe, traffic-free route to the CBD while avoiding six dangerous intersections.
Q: How much did the West Gate Tunnel cost?
A: The final cost is approximately $10.2 billion, almost double the original $5.5 billion estimate. Cost blowouts were primarily due to contaminated soil disposal issues and construction delays.
Q: Will trucks still use residential streets in the inner west?
A: No. From the tunnel’s opening, new 24/7 no-truck zones come into effect on major residential roads in Yarraville, Footscray, Altona North and Spotswood. The project aims to remove more than 9,000 trucks daily from local streets.
