West Gate Tunnel | Wood Marsh Architecture

West Gate Tunnel,  As one of Melbourne’s largest infrastructure projects, the West Gate Tunnel is an underground roadway designed to relieve congestion on the West Gate Bridge and establish a direct connection to the city’s western industrial, port precinct. Crossing four waterways, the project’s design narrative draws on a 60,000-year-old story of Indigenous communities fishing and harvesting eels among weaving reeds. There’s also a reference to colonial settlement around the docks and the ropes used to lift things off ships.

The master plan is conceived as a sculptural reference to a net, with eels and colourful fish appearing to flow through it, positioning the tunnel itself as the net. The tunnel is marked by two prominent structures, sculptural representations of weaving rope and basket weaving, which also function as key geographic markers. These structures are engineered from sustainable plantation timber, offering a reduced carbon footprint and minimal maintenance. Bright lighting illuminates the tunnel entrance and exit, creating a filtered effect that supports wayfinding at night. In daylight, the structures cast silhouettes onto the bitumen, an effect that allows the eyes to adjust to changes in light. Sculpturally integrated, the 50 m vent stack contrasts the light, filtered net structures with a grounded, fluid form, its metal surface catching light to accentuate the fluid movement of the form.

The two side ramps over the Maribyrnong River are conceived as a fish and two eels, one rendered in dark tones and the other brightly coloured. The brightly coloured ramp is finished in light silver-grey and incorporates an array of vibrant Perspex panels, creating a prismatic effect that reflects the colours and patterns observed in close-up studies of fish scales. In the same way, prismatic rainbow lighting has been introduced within the tunnel, creating the effect of encountering fish underwater and effectively forming a rainbow road. Adding a great deal of interest to the journey, the lighting also highlights speed and road signs along the tunnel walls.

Significantly more than a tunnel, the urban design for the project by Wood Marsh shifts traffic and its interface with multiple communities, including more than 9 hectares of open space. The project incorporates the European model of a veloway, carving out a 1.5 km-long dedicated space for cyclists between Shepherd Bridge in Footscray and the city. Named for the late Victorian cycling legend Iris Dixon, the Dixon Veloway is a vibrant green, contrasting with the surrounding infrastructure to act as a visual signal and help cyclists navigate.

The landscaping, developed in collaboration with Tract Consultants, includes Indigenous artist contributions, children’s playgrounds, and a BMX pump track. The noise walls throughout the project utilise fluid forms referencing the maritime history of the area, with patterns cast in concrete and colourful Perspex panels projecting colour onto the road surface. Some walls are painted in rainbow colours to create dynamic effects as vehicles pass. Taut perforated metal structures form pedestrian pathways across the tunnel, illuminated from within at night to enhance visibility.

As both the introduction and conclusion to the project, a series of illuminated orange poles is installed as a wayfinding and sculptural device, marking key changes in the road network. The design references existing road infrastructure elements used across the city in yellow and red, blending these cues into a unified orange language that provides clarity, visibility, and continuity along the route.

The West Gate Tunnel is a landmark infrastructure project that integrates engineering, sculptural design, and cultural narratives. Its careful attention to functionality, wayfinding, and visual experience enhances the journey for all users while increasing road capacity for the city of Melbourne into the future. This project was made possible through the collaboration of Transurban and the West Gate Tunnel Project team.

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