Federal minister Catherine King and Victorian minister Gabrielle Williams announced on Friday that TBM Gillian and TBM Zelda have excavated nearly 60% of the 6.5km-long, three-lane twin tunnels.
The TBMs began their journey in Watsonia in 2024 and have excavated more than 3km each and installed more than 25,000 pre-case concrete tunnel segments.
The machines, which have 15.6m diameter and are 90m long, will finish their journey at the site of the future Manningham interchange next year.
The tunnels – Victoria’s longest twin road tunnels – are expected to take 15,000 trucks off local roads every day.
The first permanent section of the new Bulleen Road interchange is now open on the Eastern Freeway, and significant work is under way at the Manningham interchange to prepare for the arrival of the TBMs.
More than 8,000 people are currently working across the North East Link project.
King said the TBMs’ progress showed “we are getting on with building the missing link in Melbourne’s motorway network, which will transform the way people move across the north-east”.
Williams said the North East Link would slash travel times and make the suburbs more connected, while also removing trucks from local roads.
