Australia's Victoria Government has revealed that the West Gate Tunnel Project would see creation of 14km upgraded cycling and walking paths to help ensure safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

The project work will also include construction of a new 2.5km veloway above Footscray Road.

It is reported to be the first project where cyclists and pedestrians will have a separate path from Werribee to the Central business District (CBD) in Melbourne.

With construction of the new West Gate Tunnel, the government anticipates that it will not only complete the Federation Trail, but it will also fill the missing links in the Kororoit Creek Trail.

Victoria Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan said: “The West Gate Tunnel Project will take thousands of trucks off local streets and make cycling easier and safer for people to get around.

“The local community told us that they wanted to fix the gaps in the cycling network and that’s what we’re doing.”

The Victoria Government will also build a new path along Hyde Street, as well as a new bridge over Whitehall Street near Yarraville Gardens to provide a safe route for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as take them away from the dangerous intersection of Somerville Road and Whitehall Street.

In addition, a new bridge over Footscray Road near Costco will make crossings safer at one of the busiest intersections for cyclists in Melbourne.

To make crossings safer for the Footscray cyclists, a new bridge will be constructed over Footscray Road near Costco.

Cyclists in Footscray will also have a seamless connectivity to the new path from Shepherd Bridge, as they have the option of either choosing the existing bike path along the Port of Melbourne or the new veloway to reach city quickly and safely.

"The West Gate Tunnel Project will take thousands of trucks off local streets and make cycling easier and safer for people to get around."

The existing path on Dynon Road will also be upgraded to provide cyclists and pedestians with a new bridge over Moonee Ponds Creek along with a new connection to North Melbourne.

In order to provide a better connectivity for the pedestrians and cyclists in Spotswood and Yarraville, a new path will be created from Hyde Street Reserve to Spotswood Station.

The project is expected to create nearly 6,000 jobs and give Victoria residents an alternative to the West Gate Bridge.

Construction works are expected to begin by next year after the project is assessed through an Environment Effects Statement (EES).

Image: Victorias West Gate Tunnel project to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians safety in Melbourne. Photo: courtesy of Government of Victoria.