Cade Lucas
Inner-west residents are fed up with the ongoing disruption caused by the West Gate Tunnel Project as extensive road closures take effect to allow for final construction works.
Beginning on the evening of Monday, January 6, a series of lanes and ramps connecting major inner-west thoroughfares to the West Gate Bridge and West Gate Freeway were closed as construction crews took advantage of the summer holiday period to finish key parts of the project.
The construction of the tunnel’s exit structure, the laying of asphalt on the new freeway and the addition of new inbound express lanes, permanent road barriers and signage are among the works being undertaken until March 8, with freeway ramps at Millers Road, Williamstown Road and Grieve Parade among the roads affected.
President of Spotswood and Kingsville Residents association, Better West, Rosa McKenna, said the problem wasn’t so much the road closures, but the way they’d been explained.
“It’s the timing, it’s the poor communication,” said Ms McKenna, who argued that rather than a lack of information, the West Gate Tunnel Project and the state government had provided too much.
“People have found it all quite confusing. We’re getting stuff in our mail and email, so getting information is great, but the information is too difficult and too confusing.”
The road closures span from January 6 to March 8, but some lanes and ramps will reopen others will close in the meantime.
“It depends on where you live,” said Ms McKenna.
“One bit of information might be important to you but the rest won’t be. It could’ve been better targeted.“
While these complaints might seem pedantic, Ms McKenna said locals had been putting up with disruptions from the tunnel project for 7 years.
“People are very fatigued by the whole process,” she said.
“We understand the works have to be done, but the timing could be better. Why close multiple lanes and multiple ramps at the same time?”
A spokesperson for the West Gate Tunnel Project said the summer works were needed in order for the project to be finished by the end of the year.
“We will continue to inform locals on upcoming works through a wide range of communication channels that detail closures and detours in their surrounding area,“ the spokesperson said.
Williamstown MP Melissa Horne said she’d had discussions with the transport department to ensure that safety for vulnerable road users was paramount during the closure period.
She acknowledged the disruption and thanked residents for their patience saying the project will “deliver benefits by taking trucks off local roads and cutting travel times”.
