CPB Contractors closes deal for Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel

CPB Contractors has achieved contractual close on Melbourne’s planned 5km West Gate Tunnel, originally called the Western Distributor. The road will link the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville, a suburb of Melbourne, with the tolled CityLink road network at Docklands via a tunnel beneath Yarraville.
December 13, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The planned Westgate Tunnel: taking the pressure off the Westgate Bridge (photo courtesy CPB Contractors/Victoria Government)
CPB Contractors has achieved contractual close on Melbourne’s planned 5km West Gate Tunnel, originally called the Western Distributor.


The road will link the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville, a suburb of Melbourne, with the tolled CityLink road network at Docklands via a tunnel beneath Yarraville.

CPB Contractors is the CIMIC group’s construction arm that employs around 23,000 people in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Asia, including India. The company consists of the former 2685 Leighton Contractors and 2642 Thiess.

CPB was selected by 891 Transurban and the government of Victoria state as the preferred contractor for the project in April. CPB operates in a 50:50 joint venture with 4755 John Holland.

CPB will be working with main contractor Transurban which has a public-private partnership with the Victoria government.

The design and construct contract will generate revenue to CPB Contractors of around US$1.9 billion, according to CPB.

Transurban will contribute US$3.02 billion to the project, in exchange for motorists paying tolls on CityLink until 2045, according to a report by Australia’s ABC News.

Major construction is expected to start early next year for the project to open in 2022.

The West Gate Tunnel, one of the state’s largest urban road projects, will be an alternative route to the West Gate Bridge.

Design and construction work include widening the West Gate Freeway from eight lanes to 12 between the M80 Ring Road and Williamstown Road, as well as construction of a 2.8km eastbound tunnel and 4km westbound tunnel under Yarraville. A bridge over the Maribyrnong River will be built and an elevated road along Footscray Road to the Port of Melbourne, CityLink and the city’s north.

Cycling and pedestrian paths are part of the contract.

The Victoria State Government said the final design approved for construction will cost just over US$5 million because the tunnels are twice as long as proposed in the original business case. There will also be additional noise abatement walls, larger open spaces and more cycling paths. Also, air-quality monitoring will be for 10 years.

“Construction of the new road tunnel will be partly funded with a ten-year extension of the CityLink Concession deed,” the government said. “Early works will start in January, with the first of two massive tunnel boring machines to be ordered in the next few weeks.”

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