North East Link

North East Link

Victoria
Map
Interactive map showing the main route of the North East Link, connecting the M80 Ring Road (north end) to the Eastern Freeway (south end).
General information
TypeExpressway  (Under construction)
Length10 km (6.2 mi)
Openedlate 2028 (scheduled)[1]
Major junctions
North end Metropolitan Ring Road
Greensborough, Melbourne
 
South end Eastern Freeway
Bulleen, Melbourne
Highway system
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The North East Link works around Yarra Flats Park, April 2024.
The Yarra Flats, North East Link build and the Melbourne skyline, April 2024.
North East Link works next to Banksia Park and Manningham Road, July 2024.
North East Link tunneling work near Watsonia Station on Greensborough Road, Watsonia.
Northeast link at Viewbank facing the Melbourne skyline. October 2024.
Bulleen aerial panorama with the North East Link Build
Closeup of the North East Link build in Bulleen

The North East Link is an under construction 10–kilometre tolled highway scheme in Melbourne, Australia. It will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen, which will be upgraded from Hoddle Street to Springvale Road at Nunawading.[1]

Other components of the project include the construction of a new dedicated busway along the Eastern Freeway to serve the Doncaster area, and park and ride car parking facilities.[2][3] The Eastern Freeway will be widened from nine lanes to 20 in some parts.[4][5]

In December 2016, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that a re-elected Labor government would build the North East Link at a cost of $10 billion.[6] Early works began in 2020 and tunnelling commenced in mid 2024, with an expected completion in late 2028.[7][8]

In 2021, the length of the tunnelled portion was increased by 1.9 km to 6.5 km, and the cost of the main construction contract, to be delivered through a public-private partnership, rose to $11.1 billion.[9] The overall long-term budget for the project was set at $16.5 billion in 2017,[10] but this increased to $26.1 billion as of 2023.[11]

  1. ^ a b "About North East Link Project". Victoria's Big Build. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  2. ^ "North East Link Program - Victoria's Big Build". North East Link Program. June 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022.
  3. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (5 December 2022). "Eastern Express Busway". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  4. ^ Towell, Noel (9 September 2018). "North-East Link: Superhighway through Melbourne's east". The Age. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  5. ^ McDougall, William (21 September 2020). "North East Link – the perfect storm". Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ Carey, Adam; Preiss, Benjamin (11 December 2016). "Andrews government promises to build $10b missing link in Metropolitan Ring Road". The Age. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  7. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (24 January 2023). "Early Works". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  8. ^ Build, Victoria’s Big (27 October 2022). "North East Link tunnel boring machines on the way". Victoria’s Big Build. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ^ Juanola, Sumeyya Ilanbey, Marta Pascual (28 October 2021). "North East Link $11.1b contract to include state's longest tunnels". The Age. Retrieved 9 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Jacks, Clay Lucas, Timna (24 November 2017). "North East Link route confirmed as government sets budget at $16.5 billion". The Age. Retrieved 9 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Kolovos, Benita; correspondent, Benita Kolovos Victorian state (15 December 2023). "Jacinta Allan reveals $10bn blow out in cost of Victoria's largest road project". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2023. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)