Another major milestone reached on North East Link development

Victoria’s largest road project, the North East Link, has reached another major milestone as it continues to progress towards completion.

Tunnelling works are now complete, with Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Gillian recently breaking through at Bulleen. This signals the end of excavation of the southbound tunnel after the northbound tunnel excavation was finished in May of this year.

The massive diggers removed 2.5 million tonnes of rock and dirt as well as installed almost 43,000 pre-cast tunnel segments on schedule.

“Finishing the dig on Victoria’s biggest road tunnel is a huge achievement.

“The North East Link is a nation-building infrastructure that will improve how people get around Melbourne’s northeast,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said.

“This is an exciting milestone and one step closer to fixing Melbourne’s missing freeway link.

“Labor is delivering faster journeys and fewer trucks on local streets – helping families get home sooner,” VIC Minister for Transport Infrastructure and Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams said.

“This breakthrough means we’re one big step closer to delivering real traffic relief in Melbourne’s northeast,” Federal Member for Jagajaga Kate Thwaites said.

North East Link is on track to open to traffic in 2028, featuring twin 6.5-kilometre tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen that will fix the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network.

Once up and running, the State’s largest road tunnel will remove up to 15,000 trucks from local roads each day and reduce travel time between Melbourne’s north and east by about 35 minutes.

With tunnelling works complete, crews can now proceed to the fit-out phase to install:

• 700,000 tonnes of road surface
• 3,300 kilometres of cabling for lighting and signage
• 51 emergency passages that connect to the twin tunnels

“Every milestone reached on the North East Link brings us closer to getting people home sooner and taking trucks off local roads,” Federal Member for Menzies Gabriel Ng said.

“The tunnels will deliver better connections for motorists and a more efficient road network for Victoria’s freight transport industry,” State Member for Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines said.

“The completion of excavation is great news for families who want to see less trucks on their streets,” State Member for North-Eastern Metropolitan Region Sonja Terpstra said.

In addition, works are progressing above ground to build tunnel interchange ramps, the motorway control centre and a tree-lines Greensborough Road boulevard.

The overall North East Link development is also delivering the Eastern Freeway Upgrades and M80 Ring Road Completion – both progressing well through construction.

The North East Link is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, and it is creating more than 12,000 jobs during construction.

“This project is a jobs powerhouse for our community and supports thousands of local workers and their families,” Federal Member for McEwan Rob Mitchell said.

“This is the biggest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east and will change the way people move around Melbourne,” State Member for Bundoora Colin Brooks said.

“Labor is delivering for families across the north east now, and for generations to come,” State Member for North-Eastern Metropolitan Region Shaun Leane said.

Source: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build – North East Link