Work starting on the final stages of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades

As part of North East Link, we’re upgrading the Eastern Freeway to deliver faster, safer and more reliable journeys for Melbourne’s east.

The Eastern Freeway Upgrades will ease congestion by introducing new express lanes and advanced traffic management technology to improve traffic flow.

We’re improving public transport across Melbourne’s east, by building Melbourne’s first dedicated busway – the Eastern Busway. Combined with the completed Streamlining Hoddle Street project, bus journeys to and from the city will be faster and more reliable.

Together with North East Link, the M80 Ring Road Completion and major interchange upgrades, travel times across the north east will be slashed by up to 35 minutes, 18 sets of traffic lights will be skipped and 15,000 trucks a day will be moved off local roads onto a fully connected freeway network.

This is the largest ever investment in Melbourne’s north east and will transform the way people travel through the area.

Works on the Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Hoddle Street to Burke Road and Tram Road to Springvale Road are set to begin in late 2025. All projects being delivered as part of North East Link are on track for completion in 2028.

Help shape designs for your local area

In the coming months, we’ll be out in the community asking what you think about the look and feel of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Hoddle Street to Burke Road and Tram Road to Springvale Road.

You’ll be able to see and give feedback on Urban Design and Landscape Plans, including designs for open space, walking and cycling upgrades and new and upgraded noise walls.

Site investigations

To help inform the designs for the final sections of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, we’ve started site investigations on the freeway and in open space areas next to the freeway.

These investigations include digging bore holes to test soil conditions, noise monitoring, arborist inspections and searching for underground services.

Hoddle Street to Burke Road

The first section of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, a 6km stretch between Hoddle Street and Burke Road, will change the way people enter Melbourne’s north east.

New lanes on the freeway will ease congestion and a dedicated busway to the upgraded Doncaster Park
& Ride will get commuters to and from the city, work and home faster.

New and upgraded cycling and walking paths, including a new bridge over the Yarra River, will improve connectivity to Yarra River parklands and inner city trails.

These paths will provide safer, more direct and more accessible routes for cyclists and pedestrians.

From Hoddle Street to Burke Road we'll build:

• a new bridge over the Yarra River, creating a walking and cycling path for access between the city and the north east
• approximately 4.7 km of new and upgraded walking and cycling trails Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, making it quicker and easier to get to and from the city on public transport
• new freeway lanes to ease congestion
• new barriers to improve road safety.

Burke Road to Tram Road

A huge amount of work has already been completed on the Burke to Tram roads section of the Eastern Freeway since works started in late 2023.

Works are charging ahead to build the upgraded interchange at Bulleen Road which will connect drivers to the new North East Link tunnels and M80 Ring Road.

We’ve transformed the area and will soon open the new Bulleen Road bridge over the freeway, creating room to build the new busway lanes underneath and flyovers into the tunnel entrance.

At Doncaster Road, we're opening new freeway ramps. These will create space to continue upgrade works, including building a new Doncaster Road bridge.

The designs for the upgraded Doncaster Park & Ride have now been approved. It will open in 2028 with the completion of the North East Link Program.

Works to build upgraded walking and cycling bridges over the Eastern Freeway at Estelle Street, Bulleen and Heyington Avenue, Mont Albert North are continuing.

We’ll open the new, wider and safer bridges later this year and demolish the existing structures. Along the freeway we’re starting to install the first sections of new and upgraded noise walls to meet a tough new noise standard.

Tram Road to Springvale Road

Between Tram and Springvale roads we’ll upgrade 4.5km of the Eastern Freeway, including adding new lanes, installing new traffic management technology and building elevated ramps to streamline traffic and reduce congestion.

Express lanes and elevated ramps between Tram and Middleborough roads will separate longer commutes from local traffic to reduce the merging and weaving that causes congestion in this area today.

A new walking and cycling bridge over the Eastern Freeway will improve access to Eram Park and existing bridges at Koonung Road, Blackburn North and Kett Street, Nunawading will be kept to minimise disruption to the local community.

From Tram Road to Springvale Road we'll build:

• new lanes and elevated ramps to improve traffic flow and ease congestion
• a new walking and cycling bridge over the Eastern Freeway at Eram Park
• new noise walls upgraded sections of the Koonung Creek Trail
• revitalised sections of the Koonung Creek Linear Park.

We'll also install new traffic management technology to streamline traffic flow onto the freeway.

Supporting local communities

Connecting Melbourne’s north and east

Eastern Freeway Upgrades will connect seamlessly with the North East Link tunnels — creating a vital, long-overdue link between Melbourne’s north and east.

By giving people and freight a faster, safer alternative to Rosanna Road, Greensborough Road and Bulleen Road, this connection will take thousands of trucks and cars communities off local roads and deliver a more efficient route for longer-distance trips across the city.

New Eastern Freeway express lanes will separate local traffic from longer-distance commuters. On-ramp upgrades at key locations like Springvale Road will make merging easier, and smarter traffic management technology will keep traffic flowing. This means a smoother, more reliable drive on the Eastern Freeway — from Hoddle Street to Springvale Road and beyond.

With construction commencing soon on the next two stages — Hoddle to Burke and Tram to Springvale — we’re getting on with building a better-connected freeway for Melbourne.

You can contact 1800 105 105 to speak to us (for languages other than English please call 9209 0147). If you need assistance due to a hearing or speech impairment, please visit relayservice.gov.au

Email: contact@bigbuild.vic.gov.au.

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