Bored tunnelling has been completed for Melbourne’s North East Link after TBM Gillian made the final breakthrough on Victoria’s largest road tunnel last week.
This officially marks the completion of both 6.5km tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen, following TBM Zelda’s breakthrough of the northbound tunnel in May.
The two Herrenknecht machines were launched in late 2024 and built the 5.3km bored section of the twin tunnels. They removed 2.5 million tonnes of rock and spoil and installed more than 43,000 pre-cast tunnel segments.
The TBMs will now be dismantled and removed from site and components recycled or returned to the Herrenknecht to reuse.
Of the remaining 1.2km of tunnels, roadheaders have completed a 430m section between Trinity Grammar and Manningham Road.
The interchange sections of tunnel, where the on-and-off ramps are built, make up the final sections of the overall 6.5km tunnels.
With bored tunnelling complete, the Spark consortium, comprising Webuild, CPB Contractors, GS Engineering & Construction, and China Construction Oceania, will nowfocus on fitting out the tunnels.
The works include building the three-lane roads in the tunnels, using approximately 700,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete; installing approximately 3,300km of electrical and communications cabling; and completing 51 cross-passages.
Above-ground works also continue. These include Greensborough Road boulevard, new interchange ramps, the Motorway Control Centre in Bulleen, the Yarra Link green bridge in Bulleen, Borlase Reserve parklands, and the tunnel entry and exit ramps at Manningham and Yallambie.
Work is also progressing on upgrades to the Eastern Freeway and the M80 Ring Road as part of the broader North East Link project.
The North East Link Tunnel is due to open in 2028. It is designed to take up to 15,000 trucks a day off local roads and cut up to 35 minutes off trips between Melbourne’s north and east.
