Motorists travelling between Melbourne's outer west and the CBD can expect to save eight minutes each way off their peak-hour commute by taking Transurban's $5.5 billion West Gate Tunnel, a government report shows.
The new tollway, which is due to open in 2022, will also flood the streets of North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Docklands with thousands of extra cars a day.
More Victoria News Videos
Building the West Gate tunnel
The West Gate Tunnel, originally known as the Western Distributor, is a proposed 5km tollway to link the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville with CityLink at Docklands.
The Andrews government has consistently claimed the West Gate Tunnel will usher in cuts of up to 20 minutes to trip times between the city and Melbourne's west, but the Environment Effects Statement published on Monday contains just one example of a predicted 20-minute time saving.
According to the EES, a drive from the city to the Princes Freeway in the PM peak will be 20 minutes quicker via the tunnel than via Footscray Road and Geelong Road.
![graphic](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/http://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/12z7v7/3005westernDistributorUpdate729px.jpg)
Other forecast travel time savings are more modest.
For example, a motorist commuting to the city from the outer west in the morning peak should expect to save eight minutes by taking the West Gate Tunnel instead of the Bolte Bridge, and another eight minutes on the peak-hour drive home.
The predictions are based on the year 2031, nine years after the West Gate Tunnel is due to open.
![Footscray Road elevated freeway. Artist's impression.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/f/e/8/e/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwfj1q.png/1496064930708.jpg)
"Combined (AM and PM peak), a return trip between the Princes Freeway (Kororoit Creek) and the central city (Spencer Street and Dudley Street) may be up to 15 minutes faster in 2031," the EES states.
![Spaghetti junction, West Melbourne. Artist's impression. Source: Western Distributor Authority Supplied](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/f/d/x/4/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1496032690529.png)
Spaghetti junction, West Melbourne. Artist's impression. Image: Western Distributor Authority
The EES predicts the tunnel will bring a more than 10 per cent cut to vehicle numbers on the West Gate Bridge, which already strains to carry up to 220,000 vehicles a day, has peak-hour speeds of less than 30 km/h and causes congestion as far back as Hoppers Crossing.
It will also ease the burden on the Bolte Bridge by about 22,000 vehicles a day.
The project's impact on inner city traffic would be mixed.
Traffic on King Street and Spencer Street in the CBD would reduce by up to 2500 cars a day, but it would be made worse on Dynon Road, Queensberry Street, Curzon Road and Victoria Street just north of the CBD.
![graphic](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/http://www.smh.com.au/cqstatic/12z7v7/3005Traffic729px.png)
Traffic volumes would reduce on roads in the inner west including Francis Street, Somerville Road, Buckley Street and Ballarat Road.
Tolling structures were also revealed, although what motorists will pay has been kept secret.
There will be four toll points, including two on the widened West Gate Freeway, one at the entrance to the tunnel and one at the city access ramps to Footscray Road, Dynon Road and Wurundjeri Way.
Night-time discounts will be considered, as will toll exemptions over the Bolte Bridge for heavy vehicles with origins and destinations in the inner west.
All lanes of the West Gate Freeway will be kept open at peak times during construction.
The freeway will be widened from eight lanes to 12 between the Western Ring Road and the new tunnel entrance as part of the project.
The public now has 30 working days to respond to what the 10,000 page Environment Effects Statement says about the project.
![Roads Minister Luke Donnellan and Peter Sammut, chief executive of the Western Distributor Authority, in Yarraville on Monday releasing details of the environmental effects statement for the West Gate Tunnel project. 29th May 2017. Photo by Jason South](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/f/b/c/u/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1496022117871.png)
Roads Minister Luke Donnellan and Peter Sammut, chief executive of the Western Distributor Authority, in Yarraville on Monday. Photo: Jason South
Asked why the community was being given only 30 working days to respond to the design of the project, Mr Donnellan said there had been two years of extensive consultation already.
"No-one would suggest we have hidden this project under a bushel. We have been out there for many years consulting with the community ensuring we get it right," he said.
The state government is concerned that it will have to fight for the support of either the Greens or the Coalition to get the financial arrangements for the West Gate Tunnel through Parliament.
It will hand Transurban an extension of tolls on CityLink for at least a decade, in return for the toll road operator building and partly financing the new tollway.
Greens MP Colleen Hartland said it was not acceptable that community groups would only get 30 working days to respond to the Environment Effects Statement.
"It's disgusting. It totally eliminates community consultation. If they are genuine about community consultation, you give people at least 60 days to do this," Ms Hartland said.
![Pedestrian and cycle bridge over Footscray Road to Dicklands. Artist's impression. Source: Western Distributor Authority Supplied](http://web.archive.org./web/20170530143248im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/f/e/1/w/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1496026320366.png)
Pedestrian and cycle bridge over Footscray Road to Docklands. Artist's impression. Source: Western Distributor Authority
Coalition roads spokesman Ryan Smith said that the government would struggle to get support for the project through Parliament unless it was more transparent about the financial deal being done with Transurban.
"Until we see financial statements for this project, we're not supporting it," Mr Smith said.
"My personal position is that Transurban is gouging motorists and Daniel Andrews has backed himself into a corner – it's the worst negotiating position possible for taxpayers."
The tunnels would be dug at a depth of around 50 metres, a report into contamination from the excavation finds.
Most of the soil excavated from the tunnel, this report finds, would be relatively uncontaminated.
But some of the west's many former industrial sites the freeway will run through would have toxic chemicals including arsenic, asbestos and nickel in the soil, which would need to be carefully disposed of.
Shadow treasurer Michael O'Brien said the documents showed the project was an "absolute dud".
"We don't support extra tolls on CityLink users - certainly not to pay for a dud project. And the more Victorians see of this Western Distributor the more the numbers just don't add up," he said.