Premier Jacinta Allan, minister for transport infrastructure Gabrielle Williams and minister for roads and road safety Melissa Horne took the first end-to-end drive of the completed 2.8km citybound tunnel on Monday.
Asphalting began in August in the citybound tunnel, before work moved to complete the 4km outbound tunnel in September. More than 15,000 tonnes of asphalt have been laid.
Crews are continuing to test the tunnel’s safety systems, lights and traffic management systems in preparation for motorists to use the new connection later this year.
Above ground, work is under way on new green space, a walking and cycling path, and more than 1,700 architectural cladding panels installed at the tunnel entry and exit point.
The West Gate Tunnel Project will take traffic underground from the West Gate Freeway to the Maribyrnong River, and connect to a new elevated sky road above Footscray Road.
The project is designed to deliver faster, more reliable journeys from the western suburbs to CityLink, the Port and the CBD. It will also remove 9,000 trucks a day from local roads.
More than 45,000 people are expected to walk or run through the tunnel at the West Gate Tunnel Discovery Day on Sunday, November 16.
