North East Link continues to forge ahead towards completion

The North East Link is the largest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east and it is forging ahead towards completion as works continue to ramp up. 

The North East Link program of works is delivering three major road projects, including the 6.5-kilometre North East Link Tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen, the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, and the M80 Ring Road Completion. 

As part of an eight-week construction blitz, rail systems will be upgraded to prepare the Hurstbridge rail line ready for North East Link. 

From 31 January until the last service on 27 March, buses will replace trains between Heidelberg and Eltham on the Hurstbridge Line while a range of works to upgrade operational and rail systems are carried out – including track and overhead traction infrastructure, and safety systems. 

Crews will work around the clock to lay a new track slab as well as install new overhead lines, communication and safety systems. They will also build out the rail corridor abutments during this time to pave the way for the extension of the rail beneath Greensborough Highway. 

The extended rail tunnel is on track to be completed in mid-2026, and this project will position the Watsonia rail tunnel as the third longest in Melbourne. 

The first major upgrade of the Eastern Freeway since it was built is also ramping up over the summer. From 4 February until mid-March, outbound lanes will be separated between Burke and Bulleen roads. 

During this time, motorists travelling from the city towards Ringwood and Dandenong are encouraged to use the right lanes as they approach Burke Road to continue on the Eastern Freeway outbound while those travelling outbound to take the Bulleen Road exit need to stay in the left lanes after Burke Road. 

The same number of lanes will remain open, but they will be split in a 2-by-2-lane configuration. If drivers miss the Bulleen Road exit, they can use the next exit at Doncaster Road to get back on track. 

Electronic signs and road markings will be in place to help direct motorists who, in turn, are asked to drive safely and choose their lanes early to avoid making last-minute lane changes. 

During a six-week work blitz, crews will complete asphalting, marking new lines and carrying out profiling works behind barriers to build the new express lanes. Other works to be carried out include installation of new traffic management technology, sewer lines and drainage. 

In March, works will switch to the other side of the Eastern Freeway, splitting the citybound carriageway in two where similar works will be done. During the split, there will be no changes to ramp access to freeway entry and exit ramps. 

Significant work to build 45 kilometres of new lanes will continue throughout 2025 alongside works to connect the freeway with the North East Link Tunnels. 

At the North East Link tunnels, concrete culverts made in regional Victoria are being installed to create a maintenance tunnels to service the State’s largest road project. 

The three-metre-high by three-metre-wide box culverts that each weigh 20 tonnes are being installed throughout the 6.5-kilometre twin tunnels to create a service tunnel under the road surface. This will provide clear access for maintenance vehicles and staff when the tunnels open to traffic in 2028. 

Each culvert is installed after the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have excavated the tunnels and lined them with over 43,000 concrete segments made in Benalla. The culverts are then lifted into place and surrounded it with additional concrete to create the service tunnel as well as a flat surface for road base to be laid on at a later stage. 

About 4,500 box culverts are being made at Humes’ – a local concreting company – Echuca facility, with 14 culverts delivered to the North East Link each day – supporting 60 jobs in the regional border town. 

Humes’ facility utilises a type of concrete that adds alternative material to the cement, including industrial by-products, to help reduce the environmental impact of building and infrastructure construction projects. 

Meanwhile, the two TBMs – Zelda and Gillian – are making their way from Watsonia to Bulleen, with Zelda already reaching the first kilometre of its journey. 

All three major projects under the North East Link program are anticipated to be completed in 2028. 

Source: Victoria’s Big Build (1, 2, 3, 4); Infrastruture Magazine