Burnley Tunnel Upgrade Project
Keeping Melbourne moving
We’ve given the Burnley Tunnel a major makeover to improve the traffic flow and make your trips quicker.
We’ve switched on an Australian first – state-of-the-art pacemaker lighting – to encourage drivers to maintain a consistent speed.
Why the improvements?
The Burnley Tunnel is much steeper and deeper than people realise. When going through the tunnel, drivers are actually driving down around 65 metres below the Yarra River, then back up again as they exit.
While drivers may enter the tunnel at 80 km/h, they usually exit at a slower pace, around 60 km/h, which leads to congestion and can create a backlog of traffic in the tunnel.
What we’ve done
We’ve given the Burnley Tunnel a major makeover to give drivers a better trip through one of Melbourne’s busiest transport links.
Upgrade works included deep cleaning and repainting of the tunnel walls, repairing barriers and installing colourful, more energy efficient LEDs.
The newly repainted tunnel walls, LEDs and pacemaker lighting combine to brighten the tunnel and give it a more open appearance, while also helping drivers maintain consistent speeds and easing congestion through the tunnel.
How the pacemaker lighting system works
The green pacemaker lighting (shown below encourages drivers to maintain a consistent speed through the Burnley Tunnel, particularly as you travel uphill toward the exit.
Drivers won’t need to do anything differently – the green band of moving light will provide your peripheral (side) vision a marker to keep pace with while you focus your eyes on looking ahead, following the speed limit and regular road rules.
The pacemaker lighting will operate 24 hours a day; seven days a week and will move at a speed safe and appropriate to traffic conditions in the tunnel to encourage drivers to maintain a consistent speed, while never exceeding 80 km/h.
In the event of an incident in the tunnel, the lighting will switch off. It will resume only after the road is safely cleared and all three traffic lanes are operating.
Drive with care through our work areas
In April and May, there will be nightly lane closures in the Burnley Tunnel as we complete some lighting replacements on the tunnel ceiling.
We ask that you take care driving past work areas and obey lowered speed limits and on-road signage. These safety measures are in place to keep our crews and drivers safe.
24/7 incident response
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why have you upgraded the tunnel?
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What changes have you made?
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Is the pacemaker lighting a danger to road users with epilepsy or other light sensitivities?
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What happens if the pacemakers lighting turns off or is faulty?
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What experience does Transurban have operating this type of technology if it’s an Australian-first?