Designs released for feedback for next stage of Eastern Freeway Upgrades

The designs for the next stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrade from Tram Road to Springvale Road in Victoria have been released, and the local community is encouraged to provide feedback and help refine the designs. 

The recently released Urban Design and Landscape Plan (UDLP) respond to nearly three years of community consultation as well as more than 15,000 pieces of feedback received through the planning stages of the project. 

The UDLP includes: 

• 1.6 kilometres of Koonung Creek Train upgrades, featuring: 

• • New walking and cycling bridges to Eram Park at Eram Park Road and Koonung Creek 

• • Upgraded underpasses at Station Street and Wetherby, Blackburn, and Springvale roads 

• • Better connections at Cabena Street and Koonung Road bridges 

• • New landscaped ‘navigation nodes’ at entries to bridges with new trees and plants, places to stop and rest, and improved wayfinding signage 

• Improved green spaces and waterways, including: 

• • Returned lawns, more trees and plants and improved connections to Koonung Creek Train at Eram Park and Junction Road Reserve where open space is needed to support construction 

• • Extra trees, shrubs and grasses to enhance existing areas of Koonung Creek 

• • A new section of Koonung Creek in Eram Park away from construction areas, and with more natural light, trees and plants than the Environment Effects Statement (EES) design 

• A better road design and noise standard, including: 

• • An improved lane layout from Tram Road to Middleborough Road with dedicated lanes for express, local and through trips that is easier for drivers to use, and returns more space for trees and plants at Eram Park than the EES design 

• • Noise reducing road surfaces, working together with new and existing high-quality noise walls, to meet Victoria’s toughest 63 decibel traffic noise standard, plus a quieter 58 decibel standard at night for the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, North East Link and M80 Ring Road Completion – a first for a road project in Victoria 

Artist impression of Eram Park and bridge (source: Engage Victoria)

Once complete, the upgraded road will enable motorists to save about 35 minutes on a trip between Melbourne’s north and east and take 15,000 trucks off local roads each day. 

The UDLP for the Eastern Freeway Upgrade from Tram Road to Springvale Road is now out on exhibition until 21 September 2025 – the community is urged to have their say. 

Meanwhile, the designs for the remaining stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrade – from Hoddle Street to Burke Road – will be released for feedback later this year. 

The Eastern Freeway Upgrade is one of the three major projects being delivered as part of the North East Link development – the largest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east. 

Source: Victoria’s Big Build (1, 2); Engage Victoria; Roads & Infrastructure Australia