Green light for the $5.5b West Gate Tunnel project

PLANNING Minister Richard Wynne has given a green light to the $5.5 billion West Gate Tunnel project after signing off on its 10,000-page environmental effects statement.

Mr Wynne recommended homes on Hyde St, Yarraville, be acquired, after the residents asked to be bought up.

The State Government stressed that any acquisitions would be voluntary.

It is predicted the small pocket of homes will have an extra 1600 fuel tankers travel past their homes when the project is built.

The toll road project will expand the West Gate Freeway to 12 lanes and also tunnel under Yarraville to link the West Gate to CityLink.

Transurban will pay about $3.8 billion of the costs of building the road in exchange for the road’s tolling revenue and an extension to its contract on CityLink.

Mr Wynne has supported the proposal to move V/Line stabling yards north of Southern Cross station.

This would allow the Wurundjeri Way extension to connect with Dynon Rd to be lowered to just above ground level.

He also supported further investigation of impacts around North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Docklands.

The City of Melbourne modelling had said the project would lead create peak-hour style traffic for 14 hours in some North Melbourne streets.

But Mr Wynne said the proposal would only lead to a moderate increase and the traffic study would assess the best ways to deal with that rise.

But he rejected a request to install tunnel filtration, insisting it would do little to improve air quality.

He said ventilation stacks would be built into the tunnel, which could allow advanced filtration systems to be added.

He has recommended the project’s scope be expanded to Millers Rd and noise barriers be installed there.

Thousands of extra trucks will be funnelled down Millers Rd as the project is built. Mr Wynne has also ordered the government retain control of a “city access charge” to be collected at the Dynon Rd exit.

Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said traffic flow to the city would be “moderate and manageable”.

The project is due to start next year and open in 2022.