We're increasing the capacity of Bulleen Road bridge to connect the Eastern Freeway to North East Link.

We’re widening the Bulleen Road bridge from seven to ten lanes with a separated pedestrian bridge for safer crossings. We’ll also realign the Bulleen Road entry and exit ramps for the Eastern Freeway and build shared path underpasses as part of the Bulleen interchange.

To start the widening process, we'll begin building new bridge foundations to the east side of the bridge. These foundations will support the bridge deck and new lanes. In June, we started works to shift traffic slightly to the west of the bridge so we can work on the other side later this year. In August, we'll start building the foundations by piling within the freeway centre median.

Maintaining traffic on the bridge

We’ll maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction across the bridge by moving vehicles and pedestrians to the city side of Bulleen Road bridge. We’ll make room by removing traffic islands in the centre of the bridge and replace them with asphalt and mark new lanes.

We’ll work at night so that we can keep traffic moving throughout the day.

What to expect

From June to August, lanes on Bulleen Road and across Bulleen Road bridge will be closed overnight with reduced speed limits during working hours.

From late July, lanes may be closed on the Eastern Freeway overnight for piling and to install new bridge piers. Keep an eye out for on road signage for more information on dates and times.

Pedestrian access

Later this year, we'll be closing the footpath on the east side of the Bulleen Road bridge. The footpath on the city side of the bridge will remain open. To facilitate safe crossings, we'll install temporary pedestrian lights at the Bulleen and Thompsons roads intersection. Please refer to the map overleaf for more details.

Questions and Answers

What is piling?

Piling is the process of constructing large foundations in the ground to provide a solid foundation to a structure. A pile is formed by drilling a large deep hole into the ground, followed by installing a steel reinforcement cage, with the hole then being filled with concrete. After all the piles are complete, a concrete beam (known as a pile cap) is poured to connect them all, allowing for the pier/column to be constructed on top of it. Those columns will then hold the support beams to widen the Bulleen Road bridge.

Will piling be noisy?

There are different piling methods used depending on the construction methodology, ground conditions and engineering advice. In this location, bored piling is the best method. Bored piling often creates less noise and vibration, however nearby residents may notice an increase in noise at times. If you have concerns about the levels of noise or vibration, contact the project team any time.

How will we widen the bridge?

We'll start by using high-pressure water blasting to remove the footpath, revealing the steel reinforcement within the concrete kerb. Next, we'll insert new steel rods alongside the existing reinforcement and pour fresh concrete to seamlessly extend the bridge onto the newly installed support beams.