Urban design plan approved for North East Link Tunnels

The Urban Design and Landscape Plan for the North East Link Tunnel in Melbourne has been approved for works between Watsonia to Bulleen.

The North East Link Tunnels will take 15,000 trucks off Melbourne roads daily and reduce travel times by up to 35 minutes. The project is the biggest ever investment in Melbourne’s north-east.

The approved Urban Design and Landscape Plan includes improvements to the project design in response to community feedback with longer tunnels to Watsonia, better interchange designs and a new green bridge over Bulleen Road.

The longer tunnels to Watsonia will see a further 1.9 kilometres of tunnelling, brining the total length of these connections to 6.5 kilometres. Spark will oversee the construction of the North East Link Tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen.

Related stories:

• Contract awarded for Coxs River Road upgrade
• New Central Station restoration plans released to public
• Metro Tunnel milestone as Victorian-first platform doors installed

The two-hectare green bridge over Bulleen Road will link Koonung Creek Trail to Bulleen Park. It will feature open space for active transport, as well as the planting of native flora.

The Urban Design and Landscape Plan was on exhibition in May 2022, with over 250 submissions providing feedback.

Construction will continue to ramp up on the project, including preparations for two TBM’s which will arrive later this year.