Tunnelling has begun on the North East Link, with the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) now digging the 6.5 kilometre road tunnels between Watsonia and Bulleen.
It’s the first of two massive machines that will help dig the twin tunnels that the government says will take 15,000 trucks off local roads and save drivers up to 35 minutes.
Each TBM is 90 metres long, 15.6 metres high, and 4000 tonnes – among the biggest in the southern hemisphere.
They will each dig up to 15 metres per day and up to 45 metres underground.
The tunnels will be built using 100 per cent renewable electricity, and dirt and rock from the tunnels will be re-used across North East Link and other transport sites where possible, with a significant amount of dirt also helping rehabilitate a former quarry at Point Wilson and the former Orica site in Deer Park.
As they excavate the tunnels, the TBMs will install tunnel walls made of approximately 44,000 individual concrete segments that have been made locally in Benalla.
Tunnelling will continue into 2026, with the tunnels opening to traffic in 2028.
The start of the tunnel boring has been welcomed by the Victorian Transport Association.
“We are thrilled to see the beginning of tunnel boring for the North East Link, a project that the VTA has championed for many years,” said Peter Anderson, CEO of the VTA.
“Our advocacy for this project was driven by the pressing need to create a more efficient and reliable transport network that supports the growth and sustainability of Victoria’s economy, and provide a better pathway for primary produce and goods traversing between southeast and northern Victoria.
“The eventual completion of the North East Link will revolutionise the way we move goods and people across the state. For Victorian transport and freight operators, this project will provide much-needed relief from bottlenecks and delays, resulting in faster, safer, and more cost-effective operations.”
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