As the West Gate Tunnel Project enters its final stretch, some of the most visible changes for locals aren’t underground at all, they’re the new green spaces, paths and landscaping popping up along the corridor.
For people travelling by wheels or on foot, the active transport upgrades continue to knit the west together. More than 14 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling links are being delivered, including the upgraded and extended Federation Trail and the 2.5-kilometre elevated veloway above Footscray Road that lets riders avoid six intersections on one of Melbourne’s busiest freight routes. When it opens, it’s designed for high peak-hour capacity, full lighting and continuous separation from traffic.
All of this sits alongside the benefits the West Gate Tunnell will bring: a new alternative to the West Gate Bridge, with the tunnels and freeway connections scheduled to come online toward the end of this year. For locals, the story is just as much about what happens at ground level; safer, simpler trips, new places to walk the dog, and greener streets that feel better to live near.
Over the next few months, expect to see more planting, benches and seats and wayfinding in at parks, plus final surfacing on paths.
What to watch for
- Wetland plantings establishing around Whitehall Street, with native species selected for water quality and habitat.
- Artwork created by Wurundjeri and Bunurong artists will soon feature across the project, transforming spaces where people can pause, meet and reflect — from the rest areas at the wetlands on Whitehall Street to a new yarning circle along Kororoit Creek.
- Continued rollout of landscaping and tree planting across nearly nine hectares of new open space on the project.
Step by step, the finishing touches are turning a construction site into places people can use and that’s when a transport project starts to feel like part of the neighbourhood.
