With Victoria’s biggest road project, North East Link, well underway, Infrastructure looks at some of the sustainable outcomes it has already delivered.
North East Link has reached a critical stage, with the two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will connect Melbourne’s M80 Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway almost ready for launch.
Tunnelling will run well into 2026, ahead of the project’s expected completion in 2028, and the resulting 6.5km tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen are set to take 15,000 trucks off local roads each day and slash travel times by up to 35 minutes.
An important element in this massive program of works is sustainability. North East Link provides annual reports on sustainability objectives and targets that were set in 2019 based on input from stakeholders and the community, as well as technical sustainability assessments. The project mapped those targets against the UN Sustainable Development Goals to help it achieve strong environmental, social and economic outcomes across all phases.
Sustainable innovation
Implementing innovative and pioneering initiatives in sustainable design, process or advocacy that would be considered a first in Victoria or Australia was one of North East Link’s targets, which it has achieved through the adoption of more than 220 temporary crash barriers containing recycled crumbed rubber from waste tyres. Much of the success of this initiative can be attributed to collaboration between SafeRoads, Melbourne University and Tyre Stewardship Australia.
Work on the Eastern Freeway Upgrades is underway.
Old tyres are a particularly problematic type of waste, as they are non-biodegradable and when discarded can leach harmful chemicals into the environment. They also create fire hazards, posing a considerable danger to surrounding communities.
By using the recycled barriers, North East Link is diverting dangerous waste from landfill while keeping its workforce safe. More than 1600 car tyres were broken down to be used in the barriers, totalling more than 10t of recycled rubber.
In addition to the crash barriers, North East Link has procured $10,000 worth of recycled plastic bollards for its work sites. The Eco T-Top Bollards are the first Australian-made 100 per cent recycled plastic bollards made from other end-of-life bollards that are collected from construction sites across Victoria.
Redirecting plastic waste into bollards is a great example of innovation on projects like the North East Link, driving the benefits of Victoria’s growing circular economy – diverting even more waste from landfill. Initiatives like this one are being driven by ecologiQ, a Victorian Government initiative to recycle content across Victoria’s transport infrastructure projects, transforming Victoria’s waste and recycling sector, creating jobs, supporting industry and innovation and building new markets for recycled materials.
By salvaging and reusing bollards, the North East Link tunnelling sites have diverted 510kg of plastic waste from landfill to date and have reduced the embodied carbon emissions on the project by approximately 840kg.
Efficient design
Resource efficiency is another key sustainability focus for North East Link, encompassing energy, water, material and waste reduction initiatives throughout the design, construction and operation of the program. Progress in these areas continues to be reported, with one example being the design of the Motorway Control Centre (MCC).
An essential element to the operation of North East Link, the MCC will house the technology and staff responsible for monitoring and managing the tunnel.
While there were plans to include a car park and several amenities in the basement level of the facility, the design to allow for the removal of the basement level, therefore reducing the need for 370m3 of concrete and saving more than 55t of steel.
Additionally, an estimated 730t of steel was saved with a mass timber structure, and a further 8700t were reduced from other energy efficiency measures. Solar panels and landscaping with local plants that provide habitat for the neighbouring Birrarung (Yarra River) Parklands are also a feature of the MCC building.
Planting native species
North East Link reported that community members were concerned about the wellbeing of the River Red Gum on the corner of Bridge Street and Manningham Road in Bulleen.
The environment surrounding the tree has prevented natural seed dispersal and germination. To preserve its legacy, seeds from the River Red Gum were harvested and used to cultivate 50 new trees. These saplings were germinated and raised at a local nursery in Eltham before being transplanted into Banksia Park, Yarra Flats Park and Westerfolds Park.
With construction ongoing in the area, a new management plan has been established to support the survival of the original tree, estimated to be more than 300 years old.
Another target for North East Link is to mitigate the risk of urban heat islands (UHI) by replacing canopy lost during construction. The northern regions of the project were identified as an area of high-temperature and vulnerability to UHI. To combat this, the design for the North East Link includes the creation of open spaces and the planting of more than 30,000 trees.
The equivalent of five MCGs of parklands will be created along Banyule Creek at Borlase Reserve, as well as a 2km tree-lined boulevard for Greensborough Road, 2ha of green space as part of the Yarra Link green bridge over Bulleen Road and three new wetlands along the Yarra River and Koonung Creek in Bulleen and Balwyn North.
Emissions reduction
Finding opportunities to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions during the construction and operation of the tunnel is critical for supporting the Victoria’s emissions reduction goals.
Efforts have been made to ensure the most efficient generators are being used during construction. For example, an assessment of three large generators at Bulleen found that they were only operating between 20–30 per cent of their capacity and were switched out for smaller generators, leading to savings of approximately 38t of carbon annually.
Another key priority for North East Link is making the tunnel’s ventilation and lighting systems as energy efficient as possible. To reach this goal, North East Link has looked at how jet fans can be optimised to respond to varying traffic conditions. An energy efficiency analysis found that this could reduce energy demands by approximately 15 per cent over the life of the asset, without impacting the functionality of the ventilation system or air quality inside the tunnel.
As for lighting, North East Link is looking to use photometer sensors at the tunnel portals to adjust light levels in those areas in real time, according to whether its light or dark outside. It is estimated this will reduce the energy demand of the tunnel lighting by close to 30 per cent.
Promoting workforce diversity
Another key focus area for North East Link is to facilitate opportunities for economic development, provide a skilled local workforce and promote diversity and inclusion.
To achieve this, North East Link has established two programs aimed at generating long-term career opportunities for disadvantaged and First Nations Australians.
Worker on North East Link site
The Willan Program is working to build engagement and career opportunities in construction for young Aboriginal people who come from backgrounds of generational unemployment. The program includes ten weeks of pre-employment training, with all successful participants obtaining a Certificate II in Construction Pathways.
The Foundations in Civil Skills pilot program aims to break down barriers for women entering the construction industry. The paid, 18-day training course was designed to equip candidates with the skills and confidence to work as a general labourer on site, and participants were guaranteed employment for one year on North East Link. Five Aboriginal jobseekers are in full-time roles with Spark subcontractors following the program.
To upskill its sustainability and social outcomes teams as construction progressed, North East Link’s central package contractor, Spark, partnered with a leadership specialist to develop the Make Your Spark program.
Recognising that positive sustainability outcomes often require organisational change, the Make Your Spark program sought to increase participants’ leadership skills, allowing them to exercise greater influence in achieving positive sustainability and social outcomes for the project. Participants identified and defined personal values before aligning these with their work to inform their individual styles of leadership.
The next phase
All three of the major road projects that make up North East Link are on track and expected to open in 2028, completing the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network.
Artist’s impression of Grimshaw Street interchange, Watsonia North
The arrival of TBM cutterheads in Watsonia in July 2024 marked one of the last major pieces to be assembled before tunnelling can commence. The TBMs will then be tested and commissioned before they start digging south towards Bulleen.
The first stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades are also well underway. The Burke Road–Tram Road section began construction in 2024, with works on the remaining Hoddle Street–Burke Road and Tram Road–Springvale Road sections expected to commence in 2025.
Preliminary works to complete the M80 freeway kicked off in March 2024, with major construction expected to commence later in the year pending final approval of the urban design and landscape plan.
As the project continues to progress, North East Link will share its sustainability achievements, showcasing innovative approaches that mitigate the impact on Victoria’s environment will meeting the state’s infrastructure needs.
Images: North East Link
