Work on Victoria’s Big Build is gearing up this summer on the road and rail network, as major projects take a step closer to completion and milestones are reached on the West Gate Tunnel Project, North East Link, and level crossing removals.
There will also be a focus on rail maintenance and major rail projects in regional Victoria over the summer months.
Find out more about the major planned disruptions coming up near you this summer.
Inner Melbourne
As work on the West Gate Tunnel Project progresses, Wurundjeri Way will be closed between Dudley and Bourke streets from mid January to early March to allow for intersection works and work on the new elevated road bridge.
Yarra Trams will conduct maintenance and renewal works at the intersection of La Trobe and Swanston streets from Tuesday 2 to Thursday 11 January and sections of La Trobe and Swanston streets will be closed with detours in place. Service changes will affect tram routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 30, 35, 64, 67 and 72.
The Department of Transport and Planning is conducting annual maintenance works on the West Gate Bridge from 9pm Tuesday 26 December to 6am Thursday 4 January with 2 citybound lanes open and 3 citybound lanes closed 24 hours a day during this time. With delays of up to 30 minutes expected, drivers are being asked to plan their journey, seek another route if possible, follow detour signs, and allow plenty of extra travel time.
Melbourne’s west
As part of work on the West Gate Freeway, the inbound entry and outbound exit ramps at Grieve Parade and Millers Road will be closed from early to late February. There will also be lane closures on the West Gate Freeway between Millers Road and the M80 Ring Road interchange in January to March, and the ramp to the M80 Ring Road in the direction of Greensborough will be closed for a number of weeks.
CityLink will be closed between Footscray Road and Dynon Road from Friday 8 December to Monday 11 December to allow for the installation of a huge steel beam to create the link between the elevated road above Footscray Road and CityLink.
On the Sunbury Line, buses will replace trains between North Melbourne and Sunshine for Metro Trains critical testing work from 1am Saturday 10 February until last service Sunday 11 February.
Melbourne’s north
The first parts for the 2 huge tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will be used to tunnel the North East Link have arrived in Melbourne. While these are being transported to the site, there will be overnight traffic changes throughout summer as the massive ‘superloads’ travel at slow speeds from Melbourne’s Port to Watsonia. This will include some overnight road and lane closures in the inner west suburbs, the M80 Ring Road and on Greensborough Highway.
On the M80 Ring Road there will also be overnight lane closures between Greensborough Road and Plenty Road at times through summer as preparation work takes place on the North East Link tunnels.
Bulleen Road will be closed with local access only from late November to early December to allow work to be done to create the space for the new Yarra Link Green bridge and the North East Link tunnel entrance.
Buses will replace trains on sections of the Hurstbridge Line from Friday 1 to Monday 18 December and there will be intermittent weekend closures while crews upgrade tracks, signalling and equipment to allow for the extension of the rail tunnel.
At Reservoir, Keon Parade will need to close at times in January to allow for the safe install of bridge beams over the road as part of the work on the new, accessible station at Keon Park and construction of a 750m-long rail bridge. Buses will replace trains on the Mernda Line between Reservoir and Epping from Thursday 11 to Sunday 21 January, and the existing station will be closed from Monday 11 January.
Yarra Trams will carry out overhead maintenance and renewal works on tram Route 11 from 8pm to last tram each night between Sunday 3 December and Tuesday 5 December, and again from Sunday 10 December to Tuesday 12 December. Buses will replace trams between Stop 27 Westbourne Grove, Northcote and West Preston.
As part of the upgrades to the Eastern Freeway that will connect with the new 6.5km North East Link tunnels, from 13 November speed limits will be reduced to 80km/h during the day between Burke Road and Doncaster Road and 40km/h at night next to worksites to keep our crews safe.
Melbourne’s east
Buses will replace trains on sections of the Belgrave and Lilydale lines from late January as work ramps up on the Bedford Road, Ringwood level crossing removal.
On the Burwood Highway in Ferntree Gully, the eastbound carriageway will be closed between Lightwood Drive and Burke Road from early to late January as part of the Burwood Highway and McMahons Road Upgrade.
Melbourne’s south east
Level crossing removals continue during summer, with 2 more being removed at Cranbourne and Narre Warren by the end of the year to improve safety and reduce congestion for the tens of thousands of vehicles travelling through these crossings every day.
Road improvements as part of Big Build Roads projects also continue in the south east. The Healesville Koo Wee Rup Road roundabout will be closed between the Princes Freeway and Southeast Boulevard from early to late January. The Hall Road, Evans Road and Cranbourne-Frankston Road intersection will be closed from Friday 12 to Sunday 28 January. Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road will closed at Berwick-Cranbourne Road from mid January to March.
The intersection of the Western Port Highway and Hall Road will also be closed in all directions until 20 December so lanes can be added and intersections upgraded. Drivers are encouraged to allow up to 25 minutes of extra travel time when detouring.
Buses will replace trains on sections of the Pakenham Line from Friday 24 November to Sunday 10 December as part of the Webb Street, Narre Warren level crossing removal. Buses will also replace trains on sections of the Cranbourne Line between Sunday 26 November and Saturday 2 December. The level crossing will be gone and trains will resume on Monday 11 December, running express through Narre Warren Station over the new rail bridge while the station is closed. Due to Metro Trains critical testing work, buses will replace trains between Caulfield and Westall from 1am Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 February.
Regional Victoria
The overhaul of rail services in the state’s south west is progressing with work continuing on the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication and Stage 2 of the Warrnambool Line Upgrade.
To allow for new train detection technology and safety, coaches replace trains on the Warrnambool Line between Geelong and Warrnambool from Saturday 9 December to the last service on Sunday 10 December and again from Saturday 16 December to last service on Sunday 17 December.
The Surf Coast Highway will be closed between Baanip Boulevard and the level crossing from 9.30pm to 6am on weeknights from Monday 27 November until Friday 15 December to allow handrails, balustrades and artwork by local Wadawarrung artist Billy-Jay O’Toole to be installed.
Maintenance on the Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill lines will begin from Wednesday 21 February to last service on Sunday 3 March. Coaches will replace trains between Southern Cross and Bendigo, Echuca and Swan Hill.
Passengers should allow up to 60 minutes extra time for their journey and check the temporary coach replacement timetable, which will be available from the V/Line and Public Transport Victoria (PTV) websites closer to the start of works.
Avoid delays and check before you travel
Check for up-to-date disruptions information before you travel.