A new and improved walking and cycling bridge over the Eastern Freeway has opened, giving local communities improved connections to Koonung Creek Reserve in Balwyn North and Bulleen Park and Ride.
Built as part of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades, the cable-stayed bridge provides the area with a new architectural landmark reaching 40 metres at its highest point.
The four-metre-wide bridge is more than double the width of its predecessor to cater for walking and bike riding in both directions, while its 133-metre length will accommodate the freeway upgrades’ new Eastern Busway and express lanes underneath.
Installed over a weekend of around-the-clock works in September, the new bridge officially opened with a community event in easrly December following the old bridge’s demolition in November.
Surrounding noise wall installation, landscape works and secondary ramp construction will be completed in areas adjacent to the new bridge across 2026.
The Estelle Street bridge is 1 of several new and upgraded crossings set to provide wider, safer connections for walkers and cyclists as part of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades.
Another new walking and cycling bridge over the Eastern Freeway, at Heyington Avenue in Doncaster, is set to open before the end of the year.
Part of the North East Link project, the Eastern Freeway Upgrades are transforming the corridor between Springvale Road and Hoddle Street with new express lanes, managed motorway technology, Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, and 17.5km of new and improved shared-path connections.
The upgrades will cut freeway travel times by up to 11 minutes, improve public transport, and connect the freeway to North East Link’s tunnels in Bulleen, linking to the M80 Ring Road in Greensborough.
North East Link is expected to cut travel times by up to 35 minutes, skip 18 sets of traffic lights and remove 15,000 trucks from local roads every day.
North East Link is due for completion by the end of 2028.