We're building the North East Link Tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen, taking traffic and trucks under instead of through suburbs. In Bulleen, we'll be using a technique called mined tunnelling for about half a kilometre.

Mining machinery will work in the rock layer deep underground, excavating the tunnels in sections and installing supports as we work. This fact sheet explains how we’ll build this section of the tunnels as people continue to live and work above, and key steps ahead of work starting in 2024.

North East Link Tunnels in Bulleen

  • 14,700 cars and trucks off Bulleen Road a day
  • 8.4km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths for Bulleen and Balwyn North
  • 1800m2 of new cultural wetlands along the Yarra River

Designing the tunnels

The mined tunnels in Bulleen have been carefully designed to link to the Manningham Road interchange to the north and the Eastern Freeway interchange to the south.

Improvements to both interchanges in response to community feedback have let us design a straighter route for the tunnels closer to Bulleen Road that links to:

  • Longer tunnel boring machine (TBM) tunnels under Manningham Road to protect Banksia Park
  • Better ramp locations to shift 14,700 cars and trucks a day off Bulleen Road
  • A Manningham Road interchange design with more space for new cultural wetlands and walking and cycling paths

Mined tunnel fast facts

  • Up to 30 metres under homes
  • 430 metres long
  • 4 lanes wide each way
  • 20 metres wide and 15 metres tall

Find out more