The second river crossing will include a four-lane wide tunnel, with twin road tunnels that begin within a widened West Gate Freeway.
Tenderers are required to submit a tunnel design that does not impact on Hyde St Reserve to ensure the community still has access to open space.
The reference design and request for tender has been passed on to the three shortlisted consortiums that the government announced last month: John Holland and CPB Contractors, Lend Lease Engineering and Bouygues Construction, and an international consortium of Salini Impreglio, Fluor Australia and Lane Worldwide Infrastructure.
The second river crossing will provide motorists with an alternative to the West Gate Bridge and is expected to create 5,600 jobs.
Premier Daniel Andrews said “We’re building Melbourne’s long-overdue Second River Crossing – a true alternative to the West Gate Bridge that will slash congestion so Victorians can spend less time stuck in traffic on the M1.
“The Western Distributor will create 5,600 jobs, fully funded as part of our historic investment in transport infrastructure. The time for talk is over – we are getting these projects done.”
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan said “We’ve listened to the local community and we’ve worked to ensure their views are reflected in the reference design of the project.
“We will continue to talk with the local community throughout the next phase of the design process and the Environmental Effects Statement to ensure the project reflects their needs.”
Plans for the Western Distributor include widening the West Gate Freeway, a tunnel under Yarraville, and connections to the port, CityLink and the city.
For more information go to the Western Distributor project website.
If you have a project you would like covered in Trenchless Australasia contact Assistant Editor Nick Lovering at nlovering@gs-press.com.au