We’re upgrading the Eastern Freeway with new express lanes, new Eastern Busway, improved walking and cycling links, smart technology and a connection to North East Link — slashing trip times and improving travel in Melbourne’s east.

From Hoddle Street to Burke Road, we’ll:

• add one new freeway lane in each direction between Chandler Highway and Burke Road and improve entry and exit ramps
• complete the final piece of the new dedicated busway along the Eastern Freeway, including connections for local routes at Chandler Highway in Kew
• build a new walking and cycling bridge over the Yarra River with 4.7km of new and upgraded paths to make it quicker and easier to walk or ride a bike to Yarra River parklands and the inner city.

When completed, the Eastern Freeway Upgrades will connect seamlessly with the new 6.5km North East Link – linking Melbourne’s east with the M80 Ring Road, slashing travel times by 35 minutes and taking 15,000 trucks off local roads a day.

Eastern Busway

Dedicated bus lanes from Burke Road to Hoddle Street will complete the final piece of the new Eastern Busway along the Eastern Freeway. Local bus routes that use the freeway today, including routes to Alphington, Kew and Balwyn North, will also be able to get on and off the busway at Chandler Highway for faster trips to and from the city.

The busway will run on the north side of the freeway, with a bridge at Chandler Highway to take city-bound buses to dedicated busway lanes towards the Hoddle Street exit.

New freeway lanes

One extra freeway lane in each direction will be added between Chandler Highway and Burke Road to improve traffic flow around the Chandler Highway ramps.

New Yarra River bridge and path

A new walking and cycling bridge over the Yarra River in Kew and 2.9 kilometres of new walking and cycling paths will give people more trip choices and better connections to walk or cycle to the inner city, as well as Yarra River parklands and trails.

The new path will connect the Main Yarra Trail at Chandler Highway to the Main Yarra Trail near Merri Creek in Fairfield, and provide a more direct option than the existing Main Yarra Trail along Yarra Boulevard. Connections under Chandler Highway and Yarra Boulevard will avoid road crossings.

Main Yarra Trail upgrades

The narrow section of the trail along the Eastern Freeway between Willsmere Park and the Burke Road Billabong will be made wider with improved path surfaces.

We’ll also add a new section of trail to provide a shorter option than the existing winding route around the billabong, and fix missing links under Burke Road and Belford Road for a flatter and more direct trip.

New pedestrian path for Yarra Bend Park walkers

A dedicated path for pedestrians will separate cyclists from walkers in the busy area near Fairlea Reserve, including walkers using the River Circuit Trail

New freeway exit ramps

The existing exit ramps at Burke Road and Chandler Highway will be re-built to make space for the new Eastern Busway lanes and walking and cycling path crossings underneath.

Belford Road bridge and Willsmere Park underpass upgrades

New barriers on the Belford Road bridge will provide safer crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and upgraded lighting at the Willsmere Park underpass will help better connect the upgraded Main Yarra Trail, Darebin Creek Trail and Anniversary Trail.

New trees and plants

New trees, shrubs, groundcovers and grasses will be planted to help return areas where construction is needed with improvements.

Trees and plants will be planted along new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, at entries to the new walking and cycling bridge over the Yarra River, to help screen and filter views of noise walls, and at the Chandler Highway and Burke Road interchanges.

We'll be planting species that are native or indigenous to the area to suit local ground and growing conditions and to enhance existing habitat corridors.

The new and upgraded walking and cycling connections, together with other improvements for the Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Burke Road to Springvale Road will mean you can walk or ride a bicycle from one end of the Eastern Freeway to the other without stopping at a single set of lights.

Eastern Busway

Eleven kilometres of dedicated bus lanes along the Eastern Freeway from an upgraded Doncaster Park and Ride to Hoddle Street will work with the completed Streamlining Hoddle Street project to make bus journeys to and from the city faster and more reliable for more than 6 million trips a year.

The upgraded Doncaster Park & Ride, together with the new Bulleen Park & Ride open now, will double the number of commuter parking spaces and improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Travel speeds up to 100km/h
• Up to 30% faster trips
• Two park and rides - Bulleen and Doncaster
• Double the number of car parking spaces

Find out more about the Eastern Busway

Designed to meet Victoria’s toughest traffic noise standard

The upgraded Eastern Freeway, North East Link and M80 Ring Road Completion are being designed and built to meet a stringent noise standard of 63 decibels during the day. This is consistent with the highest level of traffic noise protection in Victoria.

In response to community feedback, we’ll also meet a quieter standard of 58 decibels at night – a first for a road project in Victoria.

The more stringent noise standard for the upgraded freeway will be met using a range of measures including 6km of noise-reducing asphalt to better manage noise at the source and 1.9km of new noise walls.

Where existing noise walls meet the project noise standard they will be kept, significantly reducing construction disruption for residents and keeping more existing trees.

Noise reducing asphalt, also known as open-graded asphalt, works by using small air pockets in the surface of the road to absorb noise.

Where existing noise walls are being kept, they will be refurbished and repaired where needed, and painted to remove graffiti, improve their appearance and further extend their life.

Where noise modelling shows new noise walls are needed, they will be between three and eight metres tall and be built using recycled plastic in textures, colours and patterns inspired by the local environment including earthy soil and rock.

Recycled plastic is a highly dense material with excellent sound absorption qualities and makes the project more sustainable.

It also means new noise walls are lighter, so they can be installed more easily, with less heavy machinery and less disruption.

Upgrading the Eastern Freeway

The Eastern Freeway Upgrades are being delivered in stages and planned to open around the same time as North East Link and the connecting M80 Ring Road Completion.

Traffic barriers are now in place on the Eastern Freeway from Hoddle Street to Springvale Road with long term speed reductions in place and changed traffic conditions.

To create space for future construction of the busway, we’ve realigned ramps at the Chandler Highway and Burke Road interchange, and moved traffic to the realigned ramps.

While we work, sections of the Main Yarra Trail will be realigned or closed, with detours in place. Fences and barriers have been installed to create safe work areas. You may also notice construction vehicles and equipment in your area and changed conditions on local roads.

Improving your journey

The Eastern Freeway Upgrades will overhaul how one of Melbourne’s busiest freeways works.

Up to 180,000 vehicles a day rely on the Eastern Freeway. Currently during the peak, travel speeds through the busiest sections from Chandler Highway to Middleborough Road can be as slow as 45km/h, with some of the worst congestion around entry and exit ramps.

The upgraded Eastern Freeway will work smarter and faster. Dedicated lanes for express trips, the Eastern Busway and ramp upgrades will fix bottlenecks and keep traffic moving.

Peak hour travel speeds will increase from 45km/h to more than 85km/h, and 100km/h in the off peak.

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