We’re building a new Grimshaw Street Interchange
The upgraded interchange will see through traffic pass under Grimshaw Street, with dedicated lanes kept for local trips. A bus priority lane will improve public transport travel times. Two new underpasses will create safer journeys for pedestrians and cyclists. We’ve also created more space for trees and plants.
A new, wider Nell Street walking and cycling bridge will create better east-west connections for locals. In response to community feedback, we’ve moved the bridge further south for a shorter, more direct crossing.
There will be improved green spaces for Trist Street Reserve and AK Lines Reserve with upgraded with new wetlands, indigenous trees and plants, walking and cycling paths, noise walls and seats.
What’s been done
In 2025, we successfully completed a 30-day rail and road blitz at Grimshaw Street ahead of schedule.
Whilst Grimshaw Street was closed between Greensborough Highway and William/Adeline Streets, we demolished and reconstructed the road bridge over the Hurstbridge rail line, installing 67 bridge beams weighing up to 22 tonnes each. Crews also installed noise walls, constructed bridge abutments and completed the rail tunnel extension under Greensborough Highway, installing 118 beams for the rail tunnel roof, each measuring up to 17 metres long.
We closed Grimshaw Street in sections between Watsonia Road and Greensborough Highway, working 24/7 to build the west side of the new interchange and a new walking and cycling underpass between AK Lines and Trist Street reserves. During this closure, we:
- installed 16 massive concrete culverts. Each culvert measuring around 7 metres wide, 4 metres high and weighing about the same as 7 African elephants!
- built 600 square metres of the future walking and cycling underpass
- removed around 13,500 cubic metres of soil, equivalent to about 5 and a half Olympic swimming pools
- laid 1,900 tonnes of asphalt and 2,700 tonnes of pavement to build the new road
- poured approximately 1,450 cubic metres of concrete
- drilled around 53 piles, including 39 using our electric piling rig
- installed 46 precast panels and 34 precast barriers along the floodwall at AK Lines Reserve.
What’s coming up?
We’ll be back in mid-2026 to build the new, wider Grimshaw Street road bridge and the Kempston Street underpass. During this time, there'll be long-term changes to the way you move through the area. We'll share more details with the community in advance to help you prepare for these changes.
Keeping in touch
We regularly speak to nearby residents and businesses about these works in more detail, including how we’ll be managing any local impacts.
If you have any questions, please contact the Big Build contact centre on 1800 105 105, emailing contact@bigbuild.vic.gov.au or visit the Hub at 17 Watsonia Road, Watsonia.