New Estelle Street bridge

The Estelle Street bridge is being upgraded to improve walking and cycling connections to the Koonung Creek Reserve, and will be widened from 1.5 metres to four metres. The new cable-stayed bridge will be 133 metres in length to accommodate the new Eastern Busway and new express lanes on the Eastern Freeway. The new bridge will also serve as an architectural landmark for the local area.

In response to community feedback, we’ve carefully staged construction to ensure the new bridge is built and open before the existing Estelle Street bridge is removed. We've built the foundations and piers for the new Estelle Street bridge and will begin lifting the precast elements of the bridge deck in place in late July. The new bridge is expected to open in late October 2025.

Upgraded noise walls and shared use paths

Along Estelle Street, noise walls will transition from earthy browns to lighter tones towards the east, and be topped with blue acrylic. Colours have been selected to represent elements of Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country.

Before new noise walls can be built, we first need to move utility services, install drainage and build retaining walls.

In early 2026, we’ll start building the new noise wall on the eastern side of the new Estelle Street bridge. Once this is complete, we’ll build the new noise wall on the western side of the bridge.

Once noise walls have been completed, we’ll upgrade the Koonung Creek Trail which will be at least three metres wide to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists.

Retaining wall construction

We’ll build four retaining walls along Estelle Street to support new noise walls, new shared use paths and the new Estelle Street bridge.

In April 2025, we started works behind our fencing to build a retaining wall east of the roundabout on Estelle Street. In the coming months, we’ll start construction of the three remaining retaining walls. These works will include excavation, piling, steel and concrete reinforcement works and panel installation.

A lane closure on Estelle Street will be required from late 2025 to complete some activities safely.

Retaining wall construction is expected to be complete by mid-2026.

Relocating Koonung Creek Main Sewer

To build the new Eastern Busway, sections of the Koonung Creek Main Sewer need to be relocated to ensure reliable wastewater services continue as we upgrade the Eastern Freeway.

We'll build around one kilometre of new sewer main north of the freeway, between Bulleen and Doncaster roads, with approximately 600 metres of new sewer in the Estelle Street area.

Sewer relocation works at Estelle Street include:

• building capping beams, excavating deep holes, steel reinforcement and concrete works to build tunnel shafts and maintenance holes
• pipe jacking new sections of the sewer main using a mini tunnel boring machine (TBM)
• trenching works to install new reticulation sewers which are smaller pipes that will connect nearby homes to the realigned Koonung Creek Main Sewer.

In preparation for relocating this essential infrastructure, we've set-up the equipment needed to operate the mini TBM including the slurry treatment plant, dewatering system and control centre. Works to relocate a reticulation sewer which overlaps with the future Koonung Creek Main Sewer alignment are also underway.

We've almost finished building the launch shaft at the western end of Estelle Street and the retrieval shaft at the eastern end, for the mini TBM.

We’ll deliver the mini TBM by crane via the freeway site access where it will be installed and commissioned on site. Once the mini TBM is set up, it will be launched underground where it will bore and install the new sewer main pipes as it travels towards the retrieval shaft.

In late 2025, we’ll build two intermediate shafts on Estelle Street which will become future maintenance holes.

We’ll also relocate another two reticulation sewers, one near Sefton Street and one east of the roundabout. These works will involve partial closures of Estelle Street. We’ll notify residents in advance of any closures and how impacts will be managed.

Installing underground cables

This year, we'll start installing underground cables along Estelle Street, between Balwyn Road and Colite Street. These will provide power for street lighting and Intelligent Transport System (ITS) devices on the freeway. These ITS devices will improve traffic flow and safety through variable speed limit signage, lane control signals, ramp metering and by helping detect and respond to traffic incidents in real time.

Watermain works

We need to trench across Estelle Street, west of the roundabout, to remove and replace two watermain pipes. These works will take approximately two weeks, and a partial closure of the road will be required to complete the works safely. The timing of these works is yet to be confirmed.

Estelle Street finishing works

In late 2026, once all the key activities have been completed, three sections of Estelle Street will be resurfaced to ensure the road surface is even. This will involve profiling works to remove the existing surface and placing a new layer of asphalt.

What to expect

We'll be working on and next to Estelle Street until late 2026. You’ll notice workers and construction vehicles in the area.

Some sections of the timber fencing will be repositioned or replaced with barriers and screens when working on the street.

Above ground equipment including a generator, dewatering system, slurry treatment plant as well as machinery including excavators, piling rigs, and cranes are expected to generate increased levels of noise, dust and vibration at times near the worksite.

Excavated material will be temporarily stockpiled on site before being transported to an approved disposal facility in sealed tip trucks via the freeway.

There will be changed traffic conditions on Estelle Street at times during these works including:

• single lane closures with traffic management in place to help you travel around our works
• partial closures of Estelle Street in late 2025 with detours in place.

Driveway access will always be maintained.

How we’ll manage construction impacts

As with all construction projects, there will be some noise, dust and vibration impacts. These impacts will be closely managed in accordance with the project's strict Environmental Performance Requirements (EPRs).

We'll work closely with impacted residents to provide additional information on works, timing and how we propose to manage the expected disruptions.

Worksite access

Construction vehicles will access the worksite directly from the freeway to keep them off local streets.

Potential odours

Odour monitoring will be conducted on a weekly basis to identify and manage any potential odour travelling offsite.

We’ll manage impacts by sealing areas with insulating foam to prevent odour escaping from the source, and utilising odour suppressants if required.

Construction noise and vibration

We’ll actively monitor noise levels and take action to reduce noise wherever possible. We’ll mitigate noise at the source, such as using noise blankets on equipment and adjusting machinery.

We’ll undertake vibration monitoring in areas where high levels of vibration are expected to ensure any effects of vibration are minimised.

Service disruptions

There will be no disruption to your water or sewerage services during our works. If you experience any issues with your services, please contact Yarra Valley Water on 1300 304 688.

Work hours

Our standard day time working hours are 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays. We’ll carry out most of our works during the day, at times some extended hours, night works and work on weekends may be required.

We’ll let you know in advance if we need to work out of hours.

If you feel you are experiencing excessive impacts from construction, we encourage you to contact the project team on 1800 105 105 as soon as possible.

Construction timeline

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You can contact 1800 105 105 to speak to us.

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