The Wurundjeri Way extension, part of the West Gate Tunnel project, launches next month on Monday 27 October, delivering a fresh route around the city's congested core.
After 25 years without a proper CBD bypass, Melbourne finally gets some relief with the Victorian government’s new West Gate Tunnel project’s Wurundjeri Way extension ready to roll. This isn’t just another road; it’s the city’s first genuine alternative to crawling through Spencer and King streets when you’re trying to get across town.
The four-lane connection runs from Dynon Road in West Melbourne straight through to Wurundjeri Way in Docklands, creating a proper corridor that skips the CBD mess entirely. Construction crews have been busy building a new bridge over Dudley Street and stretching out 1.5 kilometres of fresh bitumen to make it happen.
It will also have the capacity to carry more than 10,000 vehicles a day on opening, increasing to around 15,000 when the tunnels and elevated Footscray Road open. That’s proper infrastructure that is expected to make a huge difference to how people move around Melbourne’s inner west, CBD, Docklands and South Melbourne.
West Gate Tunnel project – Wurundjeri Way extension
- What: New CBD bypass road connection
- When: Monday 27 October 2025
- Where: Dynon Road (West Melbourne) to Wurundjeri Way (Docklands)
- Length: 1.5-kilometre connection with new Dudley Street bridge
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Marvel Stadium punters get another way in and out, which anyone who’s sat in post-game traffic will appreciate. Docklands workers, all 73,000 of them – plus the 17,500 locals living there, also score improved access to their patch of the city.
The existing Wurundjeri Way has been beefed up too, expanding from four to six lanes between Dudley Street and Flinders Street to handle the extra flow.
Once the complete West Gate Tunnel opens later this year, drivers can cruise straight through this new connection toward Werribee, Geelong and the Surf Coast without getting tangled up in city streets. That’s the kind of seamless journey Melbourne’s been crying out for.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams named the October date to get this section operational ahead of the full tunnel launch later this year.
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