Thursday, 20 March 2025

West Gate Tunnel

Melissa HORNE (Williamstown – Minister for Ports and Freight, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Minister for Health Infrastructure) (09:43): I rise today to thank the community of South Kingsville, Spotswood and Altona North for their patience during the West Gate Tunnel works. This has seen Blackshaws Road and the surrounding streets become clogged with traffic and trucks that have been diverted because of the tunnel works project. I would like to thank every single resident who has reached out to let me know what is occurring in local streets.

I have done a number of things. I have asked the department to make the traffic light sequencing change on Melbourne Road and Williamstown Road to give us better throughput of traffic. I have asked the department to also establish a temporary pedestrian crossing on Blackshaws Road to make sure that pedestrians, particularly families with young children, can cross safely. I have sought advice from the City of Hobsons Bay to see if we can expedite pedestrian crossings that are a requirement of the housing developments on Blackshaws Road. Finally, the Department of Transport and Planning has dropped the speed limit from 60 kilometres an hour to 50 kilometres an hour.

Whilst works on the West Gate Tunnel Project have been incredibly disruptive, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Once the project is complete at the end of the year, there will be permanent truck bans 24/7 on Blackshaws Road from Millers Road to Melbourne Road and on Hudsons Road from Melbourne Road to Hall Street, and these bans are law. We are putting cameras on those roads so we can enforce these bans. It will take thousands of trucks off local streets and really transform our neighbourhoods. It will make our streets safer. I will continue to work for better road safety.