We recognise the importance of the Bulleen Road entry ramp bus stop and will continue to keep this open for as long as possible through the construction stages.
Before the bus stop is moved, a new walking and cycling bridge will open that crosses the Eastern Freeway, providing a safe and accessible walking and cycling route to Bulleen Park & Ride.
This bridge will greatly reduce travel times for walking and cycling over the freeway, and link into the new Koonung Creek Trail and pathways on Thompsons Road.
We expect the bus stop will need to be closed in 2027, when this ramp has been completed in its final alignment, with three lanes of car traffic.
Any short-term closures to allow for localised walking and cycling underpass construction at Bulleen Road, will be coordinated with Transport Victoria and communicated well in advance to commuters.
When the new Eastern Busway opens in 2028, all freeway buses will travel in fully separated, bus-only express lanes located along the northern side of the freeway.
These lanes run beside the freeway separated by concrete barriers, not in the centre median and will include a direct connection to Bulleen Park & Ride.
With this new connectivity in place, there will be no bus services using the Bulleen city-bound entry ramp or the city-bound lanes of the freeway.
By operating in their own dedicated lanes, separate from general traffic, buses will provide faster and more reliable journeys.
People wanting to travel by bus north-south on Bulleen Road, will still have the option of using the route 200 bus service, as they do to today, for journeys to and from Bulleen Park & Ride.
Yes, we’re building a new walking and cycling bridge that crosses the Eastern Freeway, providing a safe and accessible walking and cycling route to Bulleen Park & Ride.
This bridge will greatly reduce travel times for walking and cycling over the freeway, and link into the new Koonung Creek Trail and pathways on Thompsons Road.
People can access the walking and cycling bridge from either Bulleen Road, Balwyn North or the Koonung Creek Trail, Balwyn North. From there, they can walk or cycle over the freeway and turn down Thompsons Road to Bulleen Park & Ride.
You can see the design of the walking and cycling bridge over the Eastern Freeway on our website, by viewing the interactive map.
This design was exhibited for public comment as part of the 2023 Urban Design and Landscape Plan for the Eastern Freeway Upgrades between Burke and Tram roads.
The new bridge will be 4m wide, and the safety barriers will be approximately 3.2m high. The safety barriers will taper down to 2.3m at either end.
We expect to open the new walking and cycling bridge in the second half of 2026, well before the city-bound entry ramp bus stop closes.
The new walking and cycling bridge will provide a much faster and safer journey by foot to Bulleen Park & Ride.
With the new bridge in place and the surrounding path network upgrades completed, we expect the less than 500m journey from the southern side of the freeway, to take approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
With direct connections to Bulleen Road, the new Koonung Creek Trail underpasses and new shared paths on Thompsons Road, the new route is mostly separated from traffic and requires fewer pedestrian signals than what’s in place today.
Additionally, the new bridge will provide a much faster and safer journey for people returning home on the bus from Bulleen Park & Ride – a trip people living on the southern side of the freeway have always had to do if returning home by bus along the Eastern Freeway.
