Guide to North East Link: travel times, works timeline, disruptions and impact on real estate
It’s touted as Melbourne’s biggest-ever road project. But how will it affect property prices? Will roadworks affect you? Who’s fighting the plan in court? And just how much travel time will it save? Here’s a comprehensive guide to the North-East Link.
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It’s being touted as the biggest road project in Victoria’s history and the North East Link (NEL) has become a hotly debated topic in the northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
The planned thoroughfare will connect the Metropolitan Ring Road (M80) to the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen Rd, with the project involving the state’s longest road tunnels – twin three-lane 6km tunnels equipped to allow GPS technology to work underground – several interchanges, widening and express bus lanes on the Eastern Freeway.
But with works starting this year, how will this $15.8 billion road link affect you?
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Why do we need the NEL?
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said the link would transform the way people travelled through the area, taking trucks off local roads, slashing travel times between Melbourne’s north and southeast by up to 35 minutes and creating new walking and cycling paths.
NEL Project (NELP) chief executive Duncan Elliott said Watsonia, Rosanna, Heidelberg and Bulleen locals subjected to “severe congestion” on their roads would benefit from the new link.
“The objective of the project is to take that really strong, high demand off those roads and turn them back to their functions, which are really connecting suburbs and activity centres,” he said.
“When you look at a road like Rosanna Rd, and what it’s trying to do with trucks, it’s just not sustainable. It’ll always be a busy road … but it shouldn’t be carrying the vehicle mix it is today. So (the NEL) will see 75 per cent of the trucks that are on Rosanna Rd gone underground.”
What’s the controversy surrounding the NEL?
The State Government is in the final stages of choosing a construction consortium to build the project, but the councils argue the full extent of environmental and community impacts are unknown until the completed design is locked in with the successful bidder.
For example, Banyule Council is calling for a longer tunnel option (the proposed tunnel is 6km) to exclude Borlase Reserve as a tunnel boring machine launch site and to protect the nature and significant trees at Simpson Army Barracks.
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Manningham Council’s wishlist included a redesign of the proposed Manningham Rd interchange, protection of the historic Bulleen River Red Gum, minimal loss of open space at Bulleen Park, a leaner design of the Eastern Freeway widening.
Mr Elliott said the project had gone through an Environmental Effects Statement.
“Taking a reference design project through the EES allows us to challenge the expert bidders to come up with the best design,” he said.
Manningham Council is also calling for more support of Bulleen Industrial Precinct businesses and that sporting clubs at Bulleen Park will be re-accommodated.
Meanwhile groups such as the Friends of Banyule, Friends of the Earth Melbourne and the Warringal Conservation Society say the project will only cause more congestion, and that the area needs more public transport.
What’s the timeline for the project and what disruptions will there be?
It’s expected to take about seven years before motorists can actually start using th NEL.
The NELP has appointed early works contractors to relocate water, gas, electricity and sewer mains within the project area this year, while major works are due to start in 2021.
Mr Elliott said getting the tunnelling machines – similar to those being used on the Metro Tunnel – into the ground at either end of the proposed tunnel would likely be the most disruptive part of the project.
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“There will be some disruptions around the intersections at Lower Plenty Rd and Manningham Rd, as part of the tunnelling works, and down off Bulleen Rd near the Veneto Club,” he said.
This will likely start late 2021.
Mr Elliott said the main disruption to motorists would happen during the upgrades to the Eastern Freeway, late next year.
“Our challenge will be to manage the vehicles through the site, so there will be speed restrictions at the different stages of work during that period – but people will always be able to navigate their way through that safely.”
How will the NEL change your travel times?
The $15.8 billion tunnel and road works aim to remove up to 19,000 vehicles from Greensborough Rd each day, 13,300 from Manningham Rd and 12,000 from Rosanna Rd by 2036.
It’s estimated the link will shave 35 minutes off travel time – by avoiding 18 sets of traffic lights – between the M80 Ring Rd and the Eastern Freeway.
The NELP says drivers will save up to 17 minutes on the Greensborough Rd/Rosanna Rd/Bulleen Rd corridor.
A dedicated busway on the Eastern Freeway will slice an estimated 30 per cent off travel times to Hoddle St.
Will NEL impact real estate in the area?
Real Estate Institute of Victoria president Leah Calnan said the project would benefit suburbs at the end of the freeway, such as Greensborough, Bundoora, Mill Park and Plenty.
Ms Calnan said any project that reduced congestion and increased access was of “great benefit” to the surrounding community.
“We have seen it before with EastLink supporting growth to the housing markets in Melbourne’s outer east. Nunawading, Ringwood, Wantirna, Dandenong, Keysborough and Seaford all recorded a sharp rise in annual median house price growth in 2007 and 2008, during Eastlink’s completion,” she said.
Ms Calnan said the growth continued even further in 2010, two years after EastLink opened.
Want to know more?
There are NEL community information sessions on the way for those who want to know more.
You can drop in to sessions at Borlase Reserve on Wednesday, February 26 (4-7pm) or Saturday, February 29 (10am-1pm).
Or you can join one of the sessions at North East Link Community Hub — 17 Watsonia Rd, Watsonia — on Wednesday, March 11 (4-7pm) or Saturday, March 14 (10am-1pm).