By Ashley Karen
The Victorian state government has revealed that work on the North East Link freight route is carrying on, with tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen, containing on and off ramps at the Manningham interchange, now being constructed.
The new interchange will move 14,700 cars and trucks off Bulleen Road each day and into the new 6.5-kilometre road tunnels, with two giant TBMs (tunnel boring machines) to reach late this year.
Jacinta Allan, Victorian transport and infrastructure minister visited Bulleen last week and viewed construction progress where crews, using a gigantic 450-tonne crane, continue constructing structural diaphragm walls to enable the excavation of the ramps and TBM retrieval box.
Allan declared: “The North East Link is more than just Victoria’s biggest road project – it’s an investment in communities in Melbourne’s north east, getting trucks off local roads and slashing travel times.
“With so many great opportunities to work on Victoria’s biggest road project, we’re breaking down barriers to employment for people building new lives in Australia.”
Nearby, crews are also beginning to make some changes to push Bulleen Road further west, to create space to construct the new Yarra Link green bridge over Bulleen Road – which will connect Koonung Creek Trail to Bulleen Park for the first time. The current Bulleen Road will be open until the realigned section is done in late 2023.
The design of the Manningham Road interchange comprises a ramp layout that avoids the historic River Red Gum on Bridge Street and enables Bulleen Art & Garden to stay open.
Across the project, the tunnel boring machine launch area is under construction in Watsonia, two giant storage sheds are taking shape on both sides of Greensborough Road, and workers in Yallambie are preparing to construct the ramps and tunnels for the new Lower Plenty Road interchange.
Excavation of the 6.5km tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen will begin next year, with the tunnel boring machines to come from overseas by the end of 2023, before the enormous task of assembling the 15.6 meters-wide, 4000-tonne machines start.
As work increases, there are already over 4600 workers across North East Link as part of the 10,000 jobs the project is generating. Over 300 priority jobseekers – such as over 40 people from migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds – have already been recruited to work across North East Link. On the tunnels alone, over 900 positions will be committed to people experiencing barriers to employment.
North East Link will be done in 2028, with it promising to cut travel times by up to 35 minutes and take 15,000 trucks off local roads.
Moreover, the significant investment in Melbourne’s northeast comprises completing the M80 Ring Road and upgrading the Eastern Freeway, alongside the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade, Fitzsimons Lane Upgrade and removing 21 level crossings.
