“People travelling to the city from the western suburbs for work,shopping or to attend events are strongly encouraged to use public transport,” VicRoads said in a statement.
A VicRoads spokesperson said delays would not be as severe as last holiday season,when the closure offour of the West Gate’s five outbound lanes caused gridlock stretching back to the Domain Tunnel. It took up to 90 minutes to drive from Southbank,and Google Maps directed some motorists to take that route despite the crushing delays.
“We’ve worked closely with Google to ensure disruption and delays are accurately reflected in Google Maps,” the VicRoads spokesperson said.
From January 10,work will move further west along the West Gate Freeway,which is being widened from eight lanes to 12 as part of the $10 billionWest Gate Tunnel project.
Resurfacing work between Millers Road and Kororoit Creek Road will require lane and ramp closures until early March. The outbound exit from the West Gate Freeway onto the M80 Ring Road will be closed from January 10 to 19.
The state government said on Friday that trains,trams and buses would be free across Victoria on Christmas Day and after 6pm on New Year’s Eve – but that would be followed by a fare hike on January 1.