BUILDING CRESCENDO: FASTER TRANSPORT PLANNED WITH NORTH EAST LINK

Credit: Australian Tunnelling Society

As Melbourne crosses the threshold to becoming the most populous city in Australia, more pressure than ever is being exerted on the circulatory system of the city: that being roads, railways and the well-trodden transport paths. 

Work has officially begun on an enormous project with the goal of changing the way people move around Melbourne—it’s been dubbed Victoria’s Big Build.  

One of the objectives of the project is to alleviate pressure created by traffic by diverting up to 15,000 of the city's trucks per day, changing the traditional routes used by many freight and logistics carriers.  

Credit - Iseekplant

VICTORIA’S BIG BUILD 

Victoria’s building aspirations are as the name describes: big. Broken into more manageable bites there are five smaller (but by no metric, small) projects planned for the north east areas of Melbourne: 

• North East Link Tunnels: the North East Link Tunnels are estimated to take 15,000 trucks off local roads every day and reduce travel times by up to 35 minutes.
  
  
• Ring Road completion: this build will upgrade the Ring Road which runs through Greensborough with five new lanes, smart technology and a seamless interchange with the North East Link.
  
  
• Eastern Freeway upgrades: there will be more than 45 kilometres of new lanes, boosted by up-to-date technology, predicted to reduce travel times on the Eastern Freeway by up to 11 minutes.
  
  
• Eastern Express Busway: this will see the building of Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, starting with completing the new Park & Ride at the corner of Thompsons Road and Kampman Street in Bulleen.
  
  
• North East Trail: 34 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, plus 40 bridges and crossings that will link Yarra River trails and parklands in the city’s north and east.

Credit – Roads and Infrastructure Magazine

ALL ABOUT EFFICIENCY

With this large investment in infrastructure underway, the Victorian government hopes to utilise some of the known strategies that have worked across the world to shorten commutes and lessen the time people spend in traffic, thereby reducing traffic as a whole.  

Any city with as much commerce and as many inhabitants as Melbourne needs to constantly evolve its methods of moving people and goods.  

Truck drivers as well as transport reliant businesses will hopefully see a positive benefit from better and bigger connections that will reduce the need for navigating suburban street routes, a reduction of cars in their vicinity which can only help to increase road safety outcomes, and a drop in travel times around Melbourne as they move from job to job. 

The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Jacinta Allan recognises that getting trucks off residential streets and onto better connected highways will have positive benefits for all parties, saying “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.” 

As the Big Build project continues, a more complex and comprehensive rail network, including a track from the city to the airport are expected to alleviate pressure from roads even further. However, these rail projects are not expected to be completed until 2035 at the earliest.  

Another positive aspect is over ten thousand jobs expected to be created within the scope of the Big Build, across industries from construction to planning to traffic management, and more. 

Credit – Victorias Big Build

NORTH EAST COMMUNITY FUND

As the largest single investment in Melbourne’s northeast in the history of the state, the North East Link aims to deliver more than the usual run of the mill project. 

A grants and partnerships program to the tune of $10 million has been established to support local initiatives and projects during the span of construction of the North East Link. This has been called the North East Community Fund.  

Funding will be made available by application to local not-for-profit organisations and community groups to support, grow and enhance communities in the area. This is to support initiatives such as sports clubs, community centres, art and music.  

Funding will be available until the project is completed with support prioritised for those most affected by construction, delays and noise.  

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

With the tendering process at an end and preferred providers chosen, the project is officially underway.  

With an ambitious finish line set for 2028, some difficult years of disruption and compromise should eventually lead to a better-connected Melbourne, safer roads and more people home in time for dinner.  

Do you know your load limitations? If you’re on the road regularly then check out this blog about the Do’s and Don’ts of Load Safety.