Traffic has moved onto the western section of Doncaster Road’s new interchange bridge over the Eastern Freeway in another big step toward slashing travel times with North East Link.
Crews switched all traffic to the city side of the interchange bridge overnight recently in December.
In early 2026, crews will demolish the old bridge and begin building the interchange bridge’s Ringwood side to enable the construction of the eastern side of the new Doncaster Road bridge.
Once complete in late 2027, the Doncaster Road interchange will accommodate 10 lanes of traffic on the bridge and provide space underneath for six express lanes and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway.
This interchange is part of North East Link’s overhaul of the Eastern Freeway with the new express lanes, new traffic management technology and the Eastern Busway.
The Eastern Freeway Upgrades will reduce travel times by up to 11 minutes between Springvale Road and Hoddle Street and improve public transport in Melbourne’s east.
The upgrades will also connect the Eastern Freeway to the North East Link tunnels in Bulleen, linking Melbourne’s east to the M80 Ring Road in Greensborough.
This will cut travel times by up to 35 minutes, skip 18 sets of traffic lights, and take 15,000 trucks off local roads daily.
Work on the Eastern Freeway Upgrades is underway between Burke and Tram roads, including construction of the freeway’s massive new interchange with the tunnels.
In 2026, major works on the freeway upgrades will begin between Hoddle Street and Burke Road and between Tram and Springvale roads.
Work on the tunnels is progressing, with North East Link’s two massive boring machines now more than two thirds of the way through their journey from Watsonia to Bulleen.
Crews on the M80 Ring Road Completion project are busy building new road connections and dedicated lanes to connect the Ring Road to the tunnels.
These works will take 19,000 cars and trucks a day off Greensborough Road, with through-traffic passing under Grimshaw Street, Elder Street and Watsonia Road, keeping local roads for local trips.
The North East Link tunnel, Eastern Freeway Upgrades, and M80 Ring Road Completion will open in 2028.