Construcciones Yamaro: Tens of thousands cross the West Gate Tunnel ahead of opening

More than 50,000 people took part in the West Gate Tunnel Discovery Day. (Images: West Gate Tunnel Project)

Tens of thousands of Victorians have taken part in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run or walk through the West Gate Tunnel before it opens to traffic next month.

Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams and Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne last week joined more than 50,000 runners and walkers for a firsthand look inside the tunnel as part of the West Gate Tunnel Discovery Day.

Runners kicked off the day at 7am, taking in city views on the eight-kilometre run, which included the new skyroad above Footscray Road connecting to the tunnel. At Yarraville Gardens, family-friendly celebrations with food, music and activities for kids brought the community together.

Walkers were treated to entertainment as they wandered the 2.5-kilometre path from Yarraville Gardens, passed the new wetlands and walked under the 38-metre-high timber net structure into the West Gate Tunnel.

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Giving back to the inner west was a central focus of the Discovery Day. More than $175,000 was raised through registrations to support two local charities: Community Bike Hub, which provides bike access and education in the west, and West Welcome Wagon, which supports asylum seekers and refugees rebuilding their lives in Australia.

When the West Gate Tunnel opens in December, it will create an alternative to the West Gate Bridge, taking traffic underground from the West Gate Freeway to the Maribyrnong River and on to a new elevated skyroad above Footscray Road.

“The West Gate Tunnel will deliver safer and more dependable journeys from the west to the city – especially for the freight operators who keep Victoria moving, and for locals who deserve less congestion on their streets,” said Horne.

This new route offers a direct connection from the West Gate Freeway to the Port of Melbourne, CityLink, Footscray Road, Dynon Road and the new Wurundjeri Way extension. The project will cut congestion, improve safety and take 9,000 trucks a day off local roads across Melbourne’s inner west.

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