Tunnelling works commence on North East Link tunnels

The North East Link Project in Victoria has reached another major milestone with the beginning of tunnelling works on the State’s longest road tunnels. 

The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) has been launched and is now excavating the 6.5-kilometre tunnel between Watsonia and Bulleen. 

“Building the North East Link is critical to future-proof Melbourne’s road network for the growing population of Victoria,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said. 

The two TBMs that will be utilised for this project will dig up to 15 metres per day and about 45 metres underground. The massive diggers will also install tunnel walls made of approximately 44,000 individual concrete segments that are made locally in Benalla. 

In addition, more than 100 tunnel workers have undergone specialised training to work below ground at the state-of-the-art Victorian Tunnelling Centre in Holmesglen. 

“The start of tunnelling on the North East Link is a major milestone on a project that will get thousands of trucks off local roads,” Premier Jacinta Allan said. 

The North East Link tunnels are going to be built using 100 per cent renewable electricity. 

Dirt and rock from the tunnels will be re-used across the project as well as other transport sites where possible. A significant amount of dirt will also help rehabilitate a former quarry at Point Wilson and the former Orica site in Deer Park. 

The two TBMs for North East Link are named Zelda and Gillian to honour two ground-breaking Victorian women. 

The late Zelda D’Aprano AO was a renowned women’s rights activist who worked tirelessly to close the gender pay gap and established the Women’s Action Committee. 

Dr Gillian Opie, on the other hand, is a neonatal paediatrician at the Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg. She founded Australia’s first breast milk bank that provides sick and premature babies in Melbourne’s neonatal intensive care units with safe, screened and pasteurised milk. 

“We’ve started building the longer 6.5-kilometre tunnels that the community asked for, which will get trucks off local roads, slash travel times, and create thousands of jobs,” Victorian Member for Bundoora Colin Brooks said. 

The North East Link Project is the biggest investment in Melbourne’s north east to date. It brings together three major road projects – the North East Link tunnels, M80 Ring Road Completion and Eastern Freeway Upgrades. 

All three projects are expected to create up to 12,000 jobs, with more than 6,700 people currently working across the North East Link corridor. 

The Spark consortium will be undertaking the delivery of the North East Link tunnels. The consortium is comprised of WeBuild, CPB Contractors, GS Engineering and Construction, China Construction Oceania, Ventia, Capella Capital, John Laing, DIF and Pacific Partnerships. 

“Victoria’s missing link has been talked about for decades – we're getting on with building it to make sure our freeways are keeping up with our growing state,” Minister for Transport Infrastructure Danny Pearson said. 

“This shows the Commonwealth is once again partnering with Victoria in infrastructure, in job creation and in building the economy, as we deliver this important project for our local community,” Federal Member for Jagajaga Kate Thwaites said. 

Source: Premier of Victoria – Media Centre; Victoria’s Big Build – North East Link (1, 2); Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government