It will take around 75,000 working hours to assemble the TBM - named Bella - with up to 30 people per shift working around the clock.

The 15.6m diameter cutter head, one of the last pieces to be assembled, will be moved into place by a 500t gantry crane, one of the largest of its kind in Australia.

With major tunnelling works set to start this year, legislation will also be introduced into parliament that will provide the framework for the management of the road when it opens in 2022.

The legislation also enables the Government to finally deal with the issue of trucks on roads in the inner west by enshrining enforceable truck bans in law, removing 9000 trucks from these roads for good.