PLANNING AND EARLY WORKS

Hoddle Street to Burke Road

Upgrading the Eastern Freeway building Melbourne’s first dedicated express busway and new walking and cycling links to the inner city.

Project design

For the upgrades to the Eastern Freeway between Hoddle Street to Burke Road, we’ll build:

  • 6 kilometres of new Eastern Busway lanes along the Eastern Freeway including access for local routes at Chandler Highway
  • 4.7 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling links including a new bridge over the Yarra River
  • 6 kilometres of quieter road surfaces and 1.9 kilometres of new noise walls
  • 6,000 new trees and 400,000 new plants
  • 1 new lane each way from Chandler Highway to Burke Road

Project overview map

Progress update

Before major construction begins in 2026, we exhibited an Urban Design and Landscape Plan (UDLP) for community feedback.

The UDLP included architectural and landscape drawings and explained how the project design meets requirements developed in consultation with the community through the Environment Effects Statement (EES) process.

The UDLP was on exhibition for submissions from Monday 27 October to Sunday 16 November 2025 on Engage Victoria.

We’re now finalising the Urban Design and Landscape Plan before submitting it to the Minister for Planning for approval, and will share a summary of how submissions were considered ahead of major works starting in 2026.

While we refine the design for the Eastern Freeway Upgrades from Hoddle Street to Burke Road through the UDLP, you’ll start see our team setting up construction compounds for workers and preparing to build the freeway upgrades.


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