Box Hill SRL: Workers to build Whitehorse Rd bridge and train line tunnel

One of the busiest roads in Melbourne’s east is about to get a four-lane bridge through its centre as Suburban Rail Loop workers tunnel underneath Box Hill.

A four-lane road bridge will be installed alongside a busy arterial in Melbourne’s east, keeping 30,000 motorists moving while a new rail line is tunnelled below them.

The elevated structure will be built by 100 workers next year in the middle of Whitehorse Rd as traffic flows on either side, ahead of the construction of the Suburban Rail Loop’s Box Hill station and tunnels from 2026.

Traffic will shift from the current lanes to the elevated lanes in late 2025.

The road bridge will be built about 3.5m above tunnel boring machines, allowing Whitehorse Rd to stay open during the SRL East’s six-year construction window.

Concept plans for the Box Hill SRL.

A new animated video has been released to show how the temporary structure and the planned SRL station will be built, as well as how cars will navigate the busy road.

The video says the project will provide a “seamless connection to the existing station” and that underground services are being shifted to ensure tunnelling can begin in 2026.

The tram stop that separates what is currently six lanes on the section of Whitehorse Rd, has already been shifted, in order to begin construction of the temporary bridge in the first half of next year.

Suburban Rail Loop Authority chief executive Frankie Carroll said plans were taking shape for the mega project.

“We’re making great progress on SRL East, which will not only create thousands of jobs and get people where they need to go, but will also deliver more affordable housing choices, jobs and services where people want to live,” he said.

“It’s hugely exciting to see work on the new SRL station at Box Hill powering ahead – and we’re doing all we can to minimise disruption to the Box Hill community during construction.”

Concept plans of Box Hill station.

Box Hill is the most complex work site for the $34.5bn Suburban Rail Loop East, which will link the suburbs to Cheltenham via stations at Burwood, Glen Waverley, Monash, Clayton, and Cheltenham, and a train stabling yard at Heatherton.

Construction chaos is expected to last for at least six years, while more than 100 homes have been acquired along with dozens of businesses.

Once the project is finished, a near linear park about 900m long will be created where the temporary road bridge is being built.

The controversial project, which will be the most expensive ever built in Victoria, is also set to release draft precinct “visions” for each station area this year, mapping out land use changes and housing options that will pave the way for more suburban high rises.

Box Hill already has a higher density than most middle ring suburbs in Melbourne, with the Allan Government aiming to increase density around other established areas of the city.