If you've driven over the bridge,. The Westgate bridge will be closed after Christmas and early into the new year, causing major delays. More than 172,000 vehicles travel over this bridge on average each day. A 2004 coroner's report recommended anti-suicide fencing or barriers be erected on the bridge to deter people from attempting to end their lives. Although the maintenance happens every year, this years closures are more extensive because of the nature of the work being conducted. The West Gate Bridge is a steel, box girder, cable-stayed bridge in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, spanning the Yarra River just north of its mouth into Port Phillip. We are continuing to shift lanes and drivers at different sections of the West Gate Freeway to make the room we need to setup construction sites to rebuild existing lanes from the ground up, add new lanes and build the inbound tunnel entry. 2023 Department of Transport and Planning [43] Of those who jumped off the West Gate Bridge, 31 per cent fell onto land. To get the latest alerts about upcoming West Gate Tunnel Project construction works or local traffic disruptions, join our West Gate Freeway Construction Updates Facebook Group. [1] About 160,000 vehicles travel over the bridge each day.[2]. Around 74 per cent of those who jumped from the bridge were male, with an average age of 33. The portals would have been north of Williamstown Road in Port Melbourne, and between Blackshaws and Melbourne roads in Altona North. VicRoads has advised motorists planning to use the popular passage to avoid the area and detour early, issuing specific route guidance for motorists travelling into the city, to the airport, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast tourist hotspots. If its longer it means more room for the climb up to the apex, which makes it easier to drive on. Get weekly updates with the latest car news and reviews. There's nothing on the vehicle code that prohibits you from doing so.". This step represents a significant and exciting milestone for the West Gate Tunnel Project and will help to cut travel times and reduce congestion for thousands of Victorians travelling to, and from, Melbournes west.. That sign is there for a reason. Vic Roads advises drivers to plan an alternative route via Footscray Road, and for those heading to the west or Surf Coast for the holidays, take the alternative route via Footscray Road, crossing the Maribyrnong River to reach the West. The Westgate bridge will be closed after Christmas and early into the new year, causing major delays. The bridge deck is 58m (190ft) above the water level to allow ships to pass underneath. Imgr link to both. From 5am on Monday, February 13, the outbound M80 Ring Road and Princes Freeway exits on the West Gate Freeway will change and drivers will need to adjust their usual route, with those travelling from the West Gate Bridge towards Geelong, Werribee or Laverton required to use the left-hand lanes to exit onto the Princes Freeway, while those heading towards Ballarat, Deer Park or Caroline Springs required to stay in the two right-hand lanes to exit onto the M80 Ring Road using the newly upgraded M80 exit ramp. We do know for sure that it is the absolute quietest time of year on that stretch of the network, with an expected drop-off in traffic of around 25 per cent. [27] This was to be done using overhead signals and barriers; the State Government allocated funds to this project in its 20062007 state budget,[citation needed] but the works were never carried out.