Construction costs are climbing considerably for a key Australian tunnel project.
Huge cost increases are expected for the construction of Australia’s new West Gate Tunnel project – image courtesy of © Miceking, Dreamstime.com
The construction cost of Australia’s West Gate Tunnel project may climb even higher according to reports. The project was previously estimated to cost up to US$4.93 billion (A$6.7 billion) to complete. However the work may now cost as much as US$2.43-3.83 billion (A$3.3-5.2 billion) extra to carry out.
The massive spike in costs arises from the discovery of around 3 million tonnes of contaminated ground along the route. The ground in question is contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals that will have to be disposed of safely.
