The proposed West Gate Tunnel as it cross the Maribyrnong River. Credit: Victorian government The project was successfully pitched to the Andrews government by Transurban behind closed doors. The government and Transurban want to start work on the project in 2018. However, some residents are devastated that the project has gained approval. The project will funnel 4000 extra trucks each day along Millers Road in Brooklyn.

The proposed series of flyovers to be built as part of the West Gate Tunnel. Credit:Victorian government Mr Wynne acknowledged there would be a "significant increase" in truck movements on the road, and said he would install double glazing to homes on the Brooklyn road. Chris Dunlevy, spokesman for the Don't Destroy Millers Road group, said he was "shattered" that an increase of 4000 extra trucks on his road has been given the go-ahead. Moonee Ponds Creek between Dynon and Footscray roads, the location for a spaghetti junction. Credit:Joe Armao He said trucks should be diverted to the industrial road nearby, Grieve Parade, rather than flooding residential streets.

"We feel like we have been ran over by the 4000 trucks. It is absolutely disgusting," he said. "We wanted something, and we got nothing. A bit of double glazing, that's nothing, no truck curfews, no other options, just absolutely nothing. The entire process was a sham and a waste of time." An extension to Wurundjeri Way will be lowered as it passes through West Melbourne, and rail yards nearby will need to be relocated, under orders made by Mr Wynne. This is to be done to allow for the future housing development on land next to Melbourne railway station, known as E-Gate. Tunnel ventilation filtration systems were recommended to Mr Wynne, but he rejected this suggestion.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said there was a possibility the Victorian Parliament would not agree to extend tolls on CityLink. This has the potential to scuttle the project. However, Mr Guy stopped short of saying the Opposition would oppose the road, which would likely require changes to the Melbourne CityLink Act. He accused the government of allowing Transurban to write its roads policies, to the detriment of Victorian motorists. "This is all focused around profits for Transurban [with] outcomes for Victorians second," Mr Guy said. About $3.8 billion of the $5.5 billion cost of building the proposed road is to be paid by Transurban.

In return, the Andrews government will hand Transurban the right to toll CityLink for up to 12 more years. CityLink delivered Transurban revenue of $687 million last year. Transurban's contract to toll CityLink will expire in 2035 if it is left unchanged. Mr Wynne said the toll road was an "important project for Melbourne" in dealing with population growth in the West. He said that, in the council area of Wyndham, more than "four classrooms of children" were born every week. Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said the toll road was a project for communities "out further west" and aimed to deal with congestion on the West Gate Bridge.

Mr Donnellan said the traffic modelling was robust. Despite this assertion though, the government has refused to release modelling by a consultant it hired that raised concerns about the traffic modelling. Multiple consultants employed by the government to assess the traffic projections for the road questioned the reliability of the modelling. Mr Wynne said there would be yet another study done on the traffic impacts on North Melbourne, West Melbourne and Docklands, in line with the committee's recommendation. This study would be done by Transport for Victoria, City of Melbourne and VicRoads. He conceded that construction over the estimated five-year timeframe, together with building of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel, would place "significant pressure" on the transport network in the inner-west. My Wynne said he would not install air pollution control devices in tunnel ventilation stacks to be built for the road.

His decision ignores advice of the independent planning committee that he appointed. Instead, he found in favour of the opinion of the Environment Protection Authority. The West Gate Tunnel is to include a new bridge over the Maribyrnong River to link to the port. It was criticised by the independent committee and the local council for spoiling the renewal of the riverfront. Mr Wynne conceded that the project would lead to a "loss of some industrial buildings" due to construction of tunnel access ramps, and called for bridge to be less bulky. But Greens MP Colleen Hartland said the project would "funnel thousands more cars into inner Melbourne each day". "It's a disaster for Melbourne."

"There is a huge thirst for better public transport in the west. We need more trains on the Werribee and Sunbury lines, buses that run often and connect to trains, and Metro services for metropolitan passengers along the Ballarat line, not V/Line servicing the suburbs." Loading And federal Greens MP Adam Bandt said the Andrews government was abandoning inner-city voters. "Labor is putting their toll-road mates before residents by turning our suburbs into traffic jams, so they've obviously decided to kiss inner-Melbourne seats goodbye," Mr Bandt said. Monday's announcement on the road comes after the government announced on Friday that it would proceed with a route through Heidelberg and Bulleen for its $16.5 billion North East Link.