Contracts awarded for final stages of Eastern Freeway Upgrades

Two consortia have been awarded the contracts to deliver the final stages of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades in Victoria. 

The contract to upgrade the freeway between Hoddle Street and Burke Road has been awarded to the Momentum consortium which is comprised of John Holland, Seymour Whyte, Jacons and Mott Macdonald. Scope of works under this contract will include delivering new lanes, new motorway technology, connections to the Eastern Busway and walking and cycling paths. 

Meanwhile, the Synergy consortium – comprised of CPB Contractors, BMD Constructions and Arup – has been awarded the contract to upgrade the freeway between Tram Road and Springvale Road. Works under this contract will include new lanes, new managed motorway technology and upgrades to the Koonung Creek Linear Park. 

With the construction contracts awarded, the Urban Design and Landscape Plans (UDLP) for the next stages of the upgrades will go on exhibition later this year. The community will then be asked to have their say about the look and feel of the design in their local area. 

Major construction on the final stages of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades are expected to commence early next year. 

“Melbourne’s east has waited long enough for an overhaul of the Eastern Freeway. This upgrade will mean faster travel times, and will deliver the city’s first dedicated busway and connect to the North East Link tunnels,” Member for Deakin Matt Gregg said. 

“Boosting capacity across the freeway will ease congestion – ensuring the thousands of people who rely on the Eastern every day, get to where they need to go sooner and safer,” Member for Ivanhoe Anthony Carbines said. 

Construction on the first section of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades between Burke Road and Tram Road is well underway and it involves building the new interchange with North East Link, new busway and new lanes. 

The upgrades will add more than 45 kilometres of new lanes where they are needed most along the corridor. Once completed, the upgraded Eastern Freeway will provide improved travel times and seamlessly connect to the North East Link tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen. 

The overall Eastern Freeway Upgrades will also deliver new express lanes, modern traffic management technology as well as Melbourne’s first dedicated 11-kilometre busway from Doncaster toward the city. 

A large amount of construction works are already underway to deliver the North East Link and Eastern Freeway Upgrades, including two massive tunnel boring machines digging deep under Rosanna, building interchanges near Bulleen Road and Greensborough Bypass, and works along the M80 and the Eastern Freeway between Burke Road and Tram Road. 

The North East Link tunnels, once completed, will connect the upgraded Eastern Freeway to the M80 Ring Road, cutting travel times by about 35 minutes while allowing motorists to skip 18 sets of traffic lights and taking 15,000 trucks off local roads each day. 

This project is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, and is due to be completed in 2028. 

“The North East Link Project and Eastern Freeway Upgrade will slash travel times for busy families and get trucks off local roads,” Premier Jacinta Allan said. 

“We’re adding more than 45 kilometres of new lanes where they’re needed most, slashing travel times along the Eastern Freeway,” Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams said. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine; Roads & Infrastructure Australia