New Vic tunnel to deliver truck bans

Trucks will be forced off existing Melbourne routes and onto toll roads

The Victorian Government’s West Gate Tunnel Project will deliver 24/7 truck bans to improve safety and reduce noise.

The Labor Government says it will ban trucks day and night on Francis Street and Somerville Road in Yarraville, and Buckley Street and Moore Street in Footscray.

The new bans will supposedly give trucks a dedicated route to the Port and mean they no longer have to rely on local roads.

The announcement from the Labor Government comes after consultation with the local community and directly responds to residents’ concerns about air quality, safety and amenity. The bans will force trucks on to the toll roads.

Local truck operators are already seething after
huge increases in tolls were introduced just a day before this announcement.

The Government says it has been working closely with the freight industry and will continue to provide the industry with support in the lead up to the bans being implemented.

The project will provide direct freeway access for trucks travelling to the Port of Melbourne through a new tunnel, moving them away from existing local routes.

In addition, the Hyde Street ramps will provide a direct connection from the West Gate Freeway to the existing fuel refineries.

The project will link the West Gate Freeway to the Port with twin tunnels under Yarraville, which will save truck drivers time and money by avoiding 17 sets of traffic lights and reducing vehicle wear and tear, the announcement said.

The new bans will not include trucks with a local origin and destination, and will be in place upon the opening of the West Gate Tunnel in 2022.

New Vic tunnel to deliver truck bans

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