Western Victoria will be one of the big winners from the development which is scheduled to begin construction in early 2018, with the West Gate Freeway set to be expanded from eight to 12 lanes.   

The improved freeway is expected to slice much as 20 minutes off the drive home from the Melbourne CBD, with three express lanes to be designated in each direction between the M80 and the West Gate Bridge.  

Project managers held a Ballarat community consultation session on Thursday night.

Western Distributor Authority traffic and network planning manager Paul Smith said the mammoth project was just one way in which the state would need to address the unprecedented growth in Melbourne’s west, which would need to be serviced by both road and rail.  

The additional lanes are almost certainly going to be the last major upgrade to the road.   

More than 2500 people are currently moving to Melbourne each week, with half of those settling in the west.  

“The west of Melbourne generally is going to experience population growth that will outstrip single projects so we need road and rail options to keep up with that growth,” Mr Smith said. 

As well as increased efficiency for commuters, freight handlers out of Ballarat are also set to benefit from the new infrastructure, which will be able to handle high performance freight vehicles heading towards the Port of Melbourne.  

The vehicles which carry significantly more weight than regular trucks are currently unable to travel along the freeway.   

Committee for Ballarat chair Janet Dore said while the project was exciting for western Victoria, it highlighted the need to think ahead.  

“We just wish it could happen faster, but the big signal is we need to start planning for a second major access point because this will be the last overhaul of the freeway.” 

The project is expected to take four years to deliver, however four lanes will continue to operate along the freeway on both sides in peak times.