Victoria’s newest road project, the West Gate Tunnel, is set to open in December this year – and to help facilitate the transition, Freight Victoria is holding a one-hour industry webinar to provide updates on routes, tolling, access and no-truck zones.
The project originally began in 2018, with the goal of providing a second crossing for the Maribyrnong River and alternative to the West Gate Bridge, for traffic travelling between the Port of Melbourne and the west.
To be held on Friday, November 28 between 10:00-11:00am (AEDT), the webinar will feature speakers from Freight Victoria, the West Gate Tunnel Project and Transurban. You can register for the webinar here.
HVIA encourages members having interests in heavy vehicle access, Performance Based Standards vehicles, and low- and zero-emissions heavy vehicle access to attend, as access arrangements for all heavy vehicles are presently unclear, and HIVA understands that industry will have the chance to ask access-related questions at the webinar.
“Heavy vehicle access is a perennial concern for the industry, and we are yet to understand what level of access the new road and its tunnels will provide for the diverse set of heavy vehicles currently in operation around metro Melbourne, which include PBS vehicles and multi-combination restricted access vehicles,” Adam Ritzinger, HVIA Chief Technical Officer, says.
“Right now, the new roads do not feature in any online access maps for heavy vehicles, and are not included in Victoria’s low- and zero-emissions vehicle network. This leaves industry in a difficult position of not knowing where they stand regarding access and mass, leading up to the opening of the road.”
Members wishing to discuss any of these issues can contact Adam Ritzinger at a.ritzinger@hvia.asn.au.