Tunnelling on the West Gate Tunnel Project is off to a running start, with tunnel boring machine (TBM) officially launching into action.
The project is being delivered in a partnership between the Victorian Government and Transurban, and will be built by construction contractors CPB Contractors and John Holland.
Contractor John Holland said TBM ‘Bella’ has begun its 18 month journey to carve out one of the twin tunnels that will create a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge.
According to John Holland, ‘Bella’ is the biggest TBM currently in operation in the southern hemisphere.
With a cutting diameter of 15.6 m, it will take a crew of 20 to operate the machine.
Excavation on the 4 km tunnel will continue around the clock, with crew working in shifts, seven days a week.
‘Bella’ was named after the first woman to graduate from university in Australia, and is digging the outbound tunnel between the West Gate Freeway and the Maribyrnong River.
In a few short months, a second John Holland TBM, ‘Vida’, will start digging the 2.8 km inbound tunnel.
The West Gate Tunnel Project will deliver a much-needed second river crossing, reducing congestion and clearing thousands of trucks from residential streets.
It will provide better connection to the CityLink, Footscray Road, Dynon Road and Wurundjeri Way, easing the journey for the 200,000 cars that use the West Gate Freeway daily.
The West Gate Tunnel project is set to become one of Victoria’s largest ever urban road projects and has an estimated completion date of 2025.
For more information visit the Big Build Victoria website.