For the first time in 25 years Victoria has opened a new CBD bypass designed to relieve congestion through the centre of town.
The Wurundjeri Way extension opens to traffic – providing a new direct link into Docklands and the Marvel Stadium precinct, and creating a safer, faster and more reliable connection between Dynon Road and Flinders Street.
Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams, and Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne today checked out the new road, which opened to traffic at 6am today.
The extension means you can avoid the CBD when travelling from one side of the city to the other.
“Linking Wurundjeri Way to Dynon Road and CityLink will reduce CBD congestion and give Melbourne more ways to move in and out of Docklands,” minister for roads and road safety Melissa Horne says.
If you’re from Footscray, you’ll be able to get to Docklands or across the city to the southern suburbs much more easily, without needing to crawl through Spencer Street or King Street.
“The new Wurundjeri Way extension will make getting around our city easier – providing another connection for Melbourne’s west to the CBD, and the first new CBD bypass in a quarter of a century,” premier Jacinta Allan says.
Opening this toll-free road will also ease congestion during major events in and around Docklands, providing another entry and exit point to the precinct and reducing bottlenecks on surrounding roads during peak periods before concerts and the footy.
The Wurundjeri Way extension will take up to 5,000 vehicles off some of the city’s busiest thoroughfares daily – including Spencer and King streets.
Importantly, the West Gate Tunnel Project’s Wurundjeri Way extension becomes a crucial new inner-city connection that will allow traffic to flow more freely for the more than 73,000 people who work in Docklands, and its 17,500 residents.
Once open, the West Gate Tunnel will deliver a vital alternative to the West Gate Bridge – providing a safer, more efficient second river crossing and removing more than 9,000 trucks from local roads.
Victorians can experience the new tunnel up close at the West Gate Tunnel Discovery Day on Sunday, November 16 – with tens of thousands expected to walk or run through the new tunnels before enjoying a family celebration at Yarraville Gardens.