Mount Victoria: Tunnel under NSW Blue Mountains would be world's longest but ruled out due to cost


Ambitious plans to build a 50km tunnel under the Blue Mountains would have made it almost the longest in the world – until bureaucrats ruled it out for being too expensive

  • Plans to build one of the world’s longest tunnels under Blue Mountains scrapped 
  • At 50km in length, the new tunnel would have been the fifth longest in the world 
  • Instead, NSW government will construct two shorter tunnels of 4km and 4.5km
  • Will bypass steep Victoria Pass descent on western side known for heavy traffic 

Plans to build one of the world’s longest tunnels under a iconic mountain range have been scrapped because the cost of the project was too expensive.

At 50km long, the tunnel connecting Sydney and western New South Wales would have been the fifth longest in the world.

The multi-billion-dollar tunnel would have bypassed the nearly 200-year-old Victoria Pass – a dual carriageway prone to heavy congestion during peak periods – on the range’s western side.

A 50km tunnel (plan pictured) connecting Sydney and western parts of New South Wales has been scrapped because of concerns over how much it would cost

A 50km tunnel (plan pictured) connecting Sydney and western parts of New South Wales has been scrapped because of concerns over how much it would cost 

Two shorter tunnels will instead bypass the dual carriageway (pictured) running through the Blue Mountains, which is prone to heavy congestion during peak periods

Two shorter tunnels will instead bypass the dual carriageway (pictured) running through the Blue Mountains, which is prone to heavy congestion during peak periods

World’s longest tunnels

Gothard Base Tunnel, Switzerland – 57.5km

Seikan Tunnel, Japan – 53.9km

Eurotunnel, France – 50.5km

Yulhyeon Tunnel, South Korea – 50.3km

Lotschberg Base Tunnel, Switzerland – 34.6km 

The NSW Government though has now ruled out the proposal – saying a tunnel of that length would be ‘prohibitively expensive’.

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said plans would go ahead instead for two shorter tunnels in the region at a cost of $2.5 billion.

The 4km and 4.5km tunnels at Blackheath and Mount Victoria will form part of the Great Western Highway duplication project to reduce the notorious levels of traffic that run through the Blue Mountains.

‘We know there is heavy congestion [in those areas] on a Sunday evening, school holiday periods and after long weekends,’ Mr Toole told ABC News.

During the Easter period, he said motorists took two hours longer to drive through the Blue Mountains because of heavy traffic.

He said large drilling machines are already boring holes into the ground near the highway to find suitable entry points for the tunnels.

Victoria Pass pictured circa 1910. The track was opened in 1832 after being built by convict labour but is well-known for being the site of traffic bottlenecks

Victoria Pass pictured circa 1910. The track was opened in 1832 after being built by convict labour but is well-known for being the site of traffic bottlenecks

An historic painting of Victoria Pass. The road connects Sydney with western parts of New South Wales

An historic painting of Victoria Pass. The road connects Sydney with western parts of New South Wales

Residents of Medlow Bath have called for the tunnel to be even longer, stretching from the popular tourist town of Katoomba to Hartley.

Victoria Pass was opened in 1832 after being built by convict labour but is well-known in recent years for being the site of traffic bottlenecks.

Construction on the two separate tunnels is expected to start in 2022. 

The road between Katoomba and Lithgow will also be duplicated to create a four-five lane highway.

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