Construction of North East Link sees progress in Bulleen

Victoria’s largest ever road project – the North East Link – continues to see progress with the State’s longest road tunnel now taking shape in Bulleen. 

Construction on the on and off ramps at the Manningham interchange is now underway and, once completed, the new interchange will move around 14,700 cars and trucks off Bulleen Road and into the new 6.5-kilometre North East Link tunnels each day. 

Crews and a 450-tonne crane are now on site at Bulleen building the structural walls that will enable excavation of the ramps and the tunnel boring machine (TBM) retrieval box to be carried out. 

Works to move Bulleen Road further west are also getting underway and this will pave the way for the construction of the new Yarra Link green bridge over Bulleen Road – which will ultimately link Koonung Creek Trail to Bulleen Park for the first time. The existing Bulleen Road will remain open to traffic until the realigned section is completed late this year. 

The design of the Manningham Road interchange features a ramp layout that bypasses the historic River Red Gum on Bridge Street and it allows the Bulleen Art & Garden to remain open. 

Aerial view looking north of the tunnel portal and Bulleen Road (source: Victoria's Big Build)

Other works on the North East Link that are now underway include the construction of a TBM launch site in Watsonia as well as two massive storage sheds on both sides of Greensborough Road, and preparation works for the construction of the ramps and tunnels for the new Lower Plenty Road interchange in Yallambie. 

The TBMs are due to arrive from overseas by the end of this year and the 15.6-metre-wide, 4000-tonne machines are then going to be assembled before commencing tunnelling works on the 6.5-kilometre tunnels. 

The North East Link Program is anticipated to create 10,000 jobs across the project, with around 4,600 workers already carrying out works as construction progresses. More than 300 priority jobseekers – including over 40 people from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds – have already been recruited to work on the North East Link. 

Construction on the tunnels alone will generate 900 job opportunities for people experiencing barriers to employment. 

“The North East Link is more than just Victoria’s biggest road project – it’s an investment in communities in Melbourne’s north east, getting trucks off local roads and slashing travel times. 

“With so many great opportunities to work on Victoria’s biggest road project, we’re breaking down barriers to employment foe people building new lives in Australia,” Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said. 

Expected to be completed in 2028, the North East Link will slash travel times by around 35 minutes and remove up to 15,000 trucks from local roads. 

The North East Link Program is made up of five big projects that will transform how people move around Melbourne by road, bus and bike. The Program is comprised of the North East Link Tunnels, M80 Ring Road, Eastern Freeway Upgrades, Eastern Expressway Busway and North East Trail. 

North East Link is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build – North East Link Program (1, 2)