NORTH-EAST: PM visits Link tunnels
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the North East Link tunnelling site at Lower Plenty Rd, Yallambie, in the company of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan late last week.
The North East Link project continues to forge ahead with two massive Tunnel Boring Machines relaunching from Lower Plenty Rd to continue their journey towards Bulleen.
The TBMs ‘Gillian’ and ‘Zelda’ earlier this year both broke through the earth into a 30-metre deep box at Lower Plenty Rd, which will soon create a vital interchange point for the North East Link project.
The TBMs relaunched to excavate the remaining stretch of the 6.5 kilometre tunnels to Bulleen to build Victoria’s longest road tunnels.
The TBMs are 15.6 metres in diameter and 90 metres long, and have each travelled 1.6 kilometres – or about 40 per cent of their total journey – collectively installing more than 16,000 concrete segments.
Construction will continue at the Lower Plenty Rd site to build the entry and exit ramps to the tunnels.
Space equivalent to five MCGs will be developed into the new Borlase Reserve parklands along Banyule Creek, returning green space to the community.
Major upgrades along the Eastern Freeway and the M80 Ring Road are ongoing, with foundation structures being built to connect the freeways to the tunnels.
Crews also continue works to realign Bulleen Road onto its permanent alignment, with these works expected to be completed later this year.
More than 8,000 people are currently working across the North East Link project, with 10 per cent of work hours being delivered by apprentices, trainees and cadets.
The project is set to create more than 12,000 jobs in total. The North East Link is jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments.
Pictured: premier Jacinta Allan with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Yallambie. Photo: 7News.