Work to build the new Bulleen Park & Ride as part of North East Link is starting soon.

Bulleen Park & Ride is a vital piece of Melbourne’s first dedicated busway that will make it easier for people to use faster, more frequent public transport to get to and from the city.

To deliver the better access people asked for during the project’s Environment Effects Statement (EES) process, we’re building Bulleen Park & Ride to the east of Thompsons Road. This new location will also get the park and ride finished 4 years earlier than planned and ready for people to use before Doncaster Park & Ride is closed for major upgrades.

Work to prepare the site ahead of major construction started in May 2021, with major works commencing later this month.

Construction is expected to take around 18 months, with Bulleen Park & Ride open and ready for passengers by late 2022.

This fact sheet provides an overview of key construction steps and stages, introduces what we’ll be doing to manage construction, and how you can contact us if you have questions.

You can also sign up to receive project updates.

About Bulleen Park & Ride

Bulleen Park & Ride will be a premium bus station including:

• a 5000 square metre green roof community park
• parking for up to 370 cars underneath
• dedicated quick drop off and pick-up bays
• walking and cycling paths that connect to Koonung Creek Trail
• bike storage cage
• ramps, toilets and myki services

Building Bulleen Park & Ride

CPB Contractors have been appointed to build Bulleen Park & Ride.

They are already working across the north-east of Melbourne for North East Link, delivering our significant early works program, and are familiar with the strict requirements in place to minimise and manage disruptions for all North East Link works.

When will we be working?

Normal construction hours

• 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday
• 7am to 3.30pm, Saturdays

While all efforts will be made to complete activities as scheduled, some activities may be required to continue slightly past these hours and local residents will be notified.

Night works

• 6pm to 7am, Sunday to Friday

Night works will be required when installing traffic barriers on the Freeway on-ramp and when working on Thompsons Road from November 2021 to February 2022 to move utilities. These works will need to be done at night to ensure the safety of our workers and the community and to reduce traffic impacts.

We know that understanding what to expect and when is important to people. Work hours will be included in regular community notifications delivered to residents before works start.

Construction timeline

May 2021: site preparation complete

Installation of fencing and hoarding, and minor site preparation works were completed.

Late July 2021: construction starts

Construction will begin with earthworks and spoil removal so work to start building Bulleen Park & Road into the slope of the site can begin. A site compound will be established at the corner of Thompsons Road and the Freeway on-ramp. Short periods of night works will also be required to install barriers.

October to November 2021: Kampman Street utility works

Moving a water main from Koonung Reserve under Kampman Street. Kampman Street will be closed at Thompsons Road.

November 2021 to February 2022: Thompsons Road utility works

Moving overhead power underground and moving a water main to allow for widening works.

March to April 2022: Thompsons Road widening works

To make room for cars and buses to turn in and out of the park and ride, the southern side of Thompsons Road will be widened and a new set of traffic lights installed on Thompsons Road near Kampman Street.

Mid 2022: landscaping and planting

A mix of indigenous and native trees and plants will be planted on the green roof and along Kampman Street and Thompsons Road.

Late 2022: construction completed and Bulleen Park & Ride open

Bulleen Park & Ride will be open and ready for people to use before Doncaster Park & Ride is closed for upgrades.

To keep the project footprint as small as possible and create space for the 5000 square metre green roof, Bulleen Park & Ride will be built into the steep slope of the site. Construction work will start with some earthworks and excavation.

Construction site plan

Managing disruptions

While some disruptions to build a project like Bulleen Park & Ride are unavoidable, we know that with careful planning, they can be managed well.

The project has more than 110 strict Environmental Performance Requirements (EPRs) that must be met to minimise and manage impacts for design, construction and once the project opens.

Noise

Strict controls will be put in place to ensure construction noise is well managed and complies with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria guidelines and the North East Link EPRs. Some of the ways noise will be managed for Bulleen Park & Ride include:

• using materials and equipment, such as mufflers for machinery, to reduce noise
• planning noisy works at times that will be least inconvenient for residents, and always providing advance notice
• monitoring noise levels and taking action to reduce noise
• installing noise walls before major works commence.

When night works are necessary, there are specific requirements to protect residents. If noise exceeds set levels, we will reassess the situation and take action to manage any impacts. This could mean changing the time of work, providing respite periods, using noise barriers or changing construction methods to reduce noise to the greatest extent possible.

Dust

We try to avoid creating dust during construction, but where it can’t be avoided, we will take steps to reduce the dust and limit impacts on the surrounding area as much as possible.

We will:

• cover, spray and monitor dirt and rock when being transported
• spray water on open stockpiles and roads to keep dust down
• monitor dust levels at key locations and take action to suppress dust in extreme windy conditions.

Lighting

Where we are required to work at night, we will use lights to provide safe working conditions. We will limit the light impacts on residential areas by positioning all lighting to face work areas and away from residential properties where possible.

Changed traffic conditions and detours

During construction you may notice changes to some of the roads you are familiar with.

While we build Bulleen Park & Ride, there will be temporary changes to Thompsons Road at times including temporary lane closures.

Local residents and road users will be given plenty of notice before any changes take place. Detours and directional signage will be put in place leading up to and around work zones.

To minimise disruption, we will:

• implement traffic management plans to ensure vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians can move safely around work areas, access public transport and also be aware of changes to speed limits and property access
• keep major arterial roads open during peak times
• provide clear and up-to-date information for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians via social media, the project website, letterbox drops and doorknocks with affected residents and businesses.

Construction vehicles and parking

Construction vehicles will need to travel to and from the Bulleen Park & Ride site. To minimise disruptions for residents, the main entry and exit will be on the Eastern Freeway on-ramp side.

If the main site entry/exit is temporarily closed, for example if works are being done in close proximity, there may be a short period of time where some vehicles may need to enter or exit the site from Kampman Street or Thompsons Road.

We are working to find suitable locations near the site for worker parking to avoid crews parking in residential streets.

Trees and vegetation

To build Bulleen Park & Ride some trees will need to be protected, and others removed.

We work closely with qualified ecologists and arborists to carefully plan and manage any unavoidable tree removal.

We understand that trees are important to the local community so as part of our tree replanting program, we will be planting a mix of indigenous and native trees and plants on Bulleen Park and Ride's green roof, and along Kampman and Thompsons Streets.

Any trees removed trees will be donated to local councils, schools and community projects.

Established native trees will be planted along Kampman Street to screen the permanent noise wall that will be built as part of the park and ride. These trees will be approximately 2.5m tall when planted and could be expected to grow up to 1m per year.

Managing material on site

We’ve been conducting a range of testing to understand the land and soil conditions on site, which has informed our planning ahead of construction.

We'll have a range of precautionary measures in place to ensure the safety of nearby residents and workers as we build the new park and ride. In the event of any contaminated materials being identified, it will be strictly managed in accordance with EPA Victoria requirements, environmental laws and regulations.

Contact us

As construction work progresses we’ll continue to stay in touch with local residents and businesses.

Monthly construction updates will be distributed as well as more frequent works notices if needed to notify people of upcoming works.

You can also call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 1800 105 105 or email community@northeastlink.vic.gov.au

For regular project updates and works notifications, subscribe to our project news.

It should be noted that this information is current at the time of publication, however changes may occur. Please visit our website for the latest updates.