Photo: Australasian Transport News

Building the project will allow the Labor Government to ban trucks day and night on Blackshaws Road in Altona North and Hudsons Road in Spotswood.

Bans will apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Hudsons Road between Booker Street and Melbourne Road and along the full length of Blackshaws Road from Melbourne Road to Grieve Parade when the West Gate Tunnel opens in 2022.

The move follows the four 24/7 truck bans announced earlier this year for Francis Street and Somerville Road in Yarraville, and Buckley and Moore streets in Footscray.

The new bans will take up to 5,000 trucks per day off local streets, adding to the more than 9,000 removed by the bans already announced.

The announcement responds directly to issues raised through community consultation.

The Labor Government will also provide further incentives for the transport and logistics industry to use the West Gate Tunnel.

To improve freight productivity and reduce costs, the Labor Government will require the tunnel operator to set discounted shuttle rates and cap maximum daily tolls for trucks making multiple trips through the tunnel, as well as night time discounts.

Shuttle rates, trip capping, night time discounts and truck bans will provide incentives for industry to use the new, faster, more efficient route for trucks travelling to the Port of Melbourne.

The project will directly link the West Gate Freeway to the Port with twin tunnels under Yarraville, which will save truck drivers time and money by avoiding 17 sets of traffic lights and reducing vehicle wear and tear.

Trucks with a local origin or destination in the area will be exempt from the truck bans.