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Freight operators in Melbourne say hundreds of oversized trucks could be sent through busy and narrow streets in Docklands every day later this year in a decision that would endanger lives and could be avoided by using the Bolte Bridge.

A-Double and Super B-Double trucks are being directed along Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street in Docklands overnight while construction on the West Gate Tunnel closes Wurundjeri Way on a handful of dates throughout April and May.

Large trucks will have to turn into the path of crossing pedestrians and cyclists at the corner of Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street.Credit: Jason South

Neil Chambers, director of Container Transport Alliance Australia, which represents major logistics companies, said the detour was dangerous and operators feared it would be used during more extensive work on Wurundjeri Way later this year.

“You have children, pedestrians, bicyclists all trying to cross the intersection of Harbour Esplanade and Bourke Street while these heavy vehicles are making left-hand and right-hand turns,” Chambers said. “The way to avoid these dangers is to open up a safe route and that’s via the Bolte Bridge.”

A state government spokesperson for the West Gate Tunnel Project said it had not finalised plans for more extensive work on Wurundjeri Way later in the year.

But Chambers said the project had told operators it planned to close Wurundjeri Way for six to eight weeks and the Docklands detour might be used again unless an alternative was found.

The dual-trailer trucks – which are up to 30 metres long and weigh up to 109 tonnes – are not permitted on the West Gate Bridge and toll road group Transurban would need to approve a vehicle weight limit increase on the Bolte Bridge.

Wurundjeri Way is being widened with an extra lane in each direction and extended to Dynon Road as part of the $10 billion toll road linking the West Gate Freeway at Yarraville with CityLink at Docklands.

The project – consisting of two seven-kilometre tunnels under Yarraville, a new bridge over the Maribyrnong River and 15 kilometres of elevated lanes on Footscray Road – is slated for completion in late 2025, three years behind schedule and $3.8 billion over budget.

Adam Arkinstall, managing director of Butler Freight Services Extra, said his company alone sends about 250 A-Double and Super B-Double trucks from Swanson Dock in West Melbourne to Webb Dock in Port Melbourne every day.

He estimated that, across all operators, nearly 1000 trucks would need to use the detour if Wurundjeri Way closed 24/7. He said it was too dangerous to direct them down a single lane of Harbour Esplanade, past Docklands Stadium, three pedestrian crossings and two tram stops.

“It’s a horrendous sharp turn onto Bourke Street,” he said.

“If you’ve just had a game of football finish on a Friday night at Marvel and you’ve got tens of thousands of feet hitting the pathways, it’s just a recipe for disaster.”

Chambers said the West Gate Tunnel Project and state government had indicated they would consider the Bolte Bridge as an alternative detour for the extensive closures later this year.

However, that would require Transurban to approve a temporary increase in the bridge’s vehicle weight limit, which currently excludes vehicles above 68.6 tonnes.

The West Gate Tunnel Project’s spokesperson said it was working to identify alternative detours to use during prolonged Wurundjeri Way closures, which were still in the planning phase.

“Alternative routes for any future closures have not yet been finalised,” they said. “We’ll continue to work closely with [the freight industry] and our project partners to make sure all road users can travel efficiently and safely.”

The Andrews government announced the West Gate Tunnel in 2015 after Transurban pitched the project with an offer to pay for two-thirds of construction costs in exchange for operating tolls on the new road and a 10-year extension of its CityLink concession.

A Transurban spokesperson said heavy vehicles could use the Bolte Bridge with a permit, and the company was “continuing to look at ways we can support the industry during any future long-term closures” as part of the road project.

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