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North East Link
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North east link needed for victoria s growing regions
The North East Link is a proposed freeway planned to run through Melbourne's north eastern suburbs. It was first proposed in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan (as part of the F7 and/or F18 corridors), and is designed to provide a road connection between the Metropolitan Ring Road in Greensborough and the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen Flats or the EastLink junction in Ringwood. It was included in the Brumby government's 2008 Victorian Transport Plan, with an estimated cost of over A$6 billion. On December 11, 2016, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that a re-elected Labor government would build the North East Link at a cost of $10 billion.
The North East Link freeway would be presumably designated as Route Number M80 (as per the existing Metropolitan Ring Road).
Victorian liberal party commits to north east link project
Route
The North East Link – often marketed as the ‘missing link’ in Melbourne's ring road network – will provide an additional major Yarra River crossing for Melbourne.
Three proposed routes for the North East Link were identified by consultation report prepared by GHD Consulting for the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Route 1: An eastern option from the Metropolitan Ring Rd to EastLink via Kangaroo Ground and Chirnside Park.
Route 2: A central option from the Metropolitan Ring Rd to EastLink via Eltham and Warrandyte.
Route 3: A western option from the Metropolitan Ring Rd to Eastern Freeway at Bulleen via Watsonia.
Controversially Route 3 was selected as the preferred route. The link proposes a combination of above-ground roadway and tunnel between Lower Plenty Road and the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen Road which will traverse the Banyule Flats and Yarra River. Two tunnel proposals have been provided citing selection based on budgetary input. A shorter tunnel from Lower Plenty Rd to Bulleen Rd exiting near the Heide museum and a longer tunnel from Lower Plenty Rd through to the Eastern Freeway. However the final details of the route are yet to be completed and further detailed engineering investigations and community consultation will be undertaken before finalising a route alignment and design for the road connection.
This project was submitted to the federal Government of Australia for funding consideration.
Criticism of Route 3
The current preferred route links the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough to EastLink via the Eastern Freeway and Mullum Mullum tunnel. Previously proposed routes connecting Greensborough to Ringwood, east of the Mullum Mullum tunnel avoid this problem.
The current preferred route has the Eastern freeway carrying both circumferential ring road traffic plus city bound radial traffic. During peak hours this additional traffic will effectively further reduce the capacity of the Eastern Freeway section of the ring road. Previously proposed routes connecting Greensborough to Ringwood avoid this problem.
The current route may physically divide the local community and result in local residents having difficulty in accessing public services and amenities such as schools, shops and transport. However the group Resolve Rossana Road would dispute this as it would alleviate a long felt need in the Heidelberg area.
The interchange at Bulleen Road may be a complex tunnel/fly-over arrangement requiring land acquisitions from the adjacent Freeway Golf Course and tennis centre significantly diminishing the local amenity.
The proposed route may impact the proposed Doncaster railway line, Melbourne along the Eastern Freeway.
The route options assessment listed in the "North East Link Infrastructure Australia Proposal to Commonwealth of Australia" (obtained via Freedom of Information) contains no quantitative data supporting the economical costings when comparing routes.
The project will require a trade-off between environmental and sustainability objectives, compared with increased road traffic.
The Banyule Flats, the Warringal Parklands and the Yarra Corridor (the areas to be affected by the proposed freeway, tunnel or viaduct) are one of the natural areas in the inner North East and are extensively used for recreation. The Banyule City Council in 2014 tabled a proposal to have the Banyule Flats, the Warringal Parklands and the Yarra Corridor made into a Heritage listed area, but the nomination with Heritage Victoria was unsuccessful.
Proposed benefits
North East Link would complete Melbourne's Metropolitan Ring Road project and is estimated to carry around 100,000 vehicles a day, providing non-stop movement and easier access for freight operators, particularly between the growing industrial areas around Dandenong, Campbellfield and the new freight-hub near Donnybrook.
With Melbourne's north expected to be home to around one million people in 2026, it is posited that the North East Link will reduce reliance on Fitzsimons Lane, Heidelberg Road and Rosanna Road, and enhance road access to Melbourne Airport as well as popular regional and interstate destinations.
Politics
In 2002, prior to the state election, Transport Minister Peter Batchelor and local ALP state member Craig Langdon promised to Banyule Town Hall that the North East Link would not be built.
The proposed freeway was a major factor in the resignation of the local MP for Ivanhoe. On 25 August 2010, Ivanhoe Labor MP Craig Langdon resigned from state politics stating: "My resignation also enables me to maintain a long-held commitment to the electorate, which was to resign from the government if I believed it was likely to build a freeway through Viewbank, Heidelberg and the Banyule Flats. Unfortunately, it appears that this could now be the case".
In April 2016 Labor Tresurer Tim Pallas is quoted as declaring it "innately" makes sense.
A report dated March 2016 into Rosanna Road in Heidelberg, that shows 38,000 motorists, comprising 2000 trucks, some being B-Doubles use the road on a daily basis, places further pressure to build the North East Link. Labor Roads Minister Luke Donnelley would not commit to North East Link.
Current Political Policies:
Labor party candidate for Ivanhoe, Anthony Carbines advised that he supported the tunnel option but not an above-ground freeway. "there will not be an above ground freeway". Many people in the crowd took issue with this, saying that such a project could easily degenerate into an above-ground freeway for part or all of the route due to budgeting constraints as evidence in previous projects such as the Footscray rail tunnel.
Liberal party candidate for Ivanhoe, Carl Ziebell states that the Liberal party does not support the freeway without an economical, environmental and social impact statements. In essence the party would not commit to a freeway or tunnel and that both options were 'off the table' until more investigation was done. No firm commitments could be given either way.
Greens party candidate for Ivanhoe, Paul Kennedy is against the proposed freeway route and is in favour of stopping trucks via curfews on Rosanna road, duplicate the Husrtbridge rail line to increase train frequency and increase smartBus standards for the Banyule area.
Liberal Federal candidate for the seat of Jagajaga, David Mulholland, is running on a platform to support North East Link.
In June 2016 the Liberal Party promised to commit $5 million to a study to find the best road option. The Labor Party countered by promising an equivalent amount do to a feasibility study.
Current Status
May 2016, Deloitte Aurecon released initial report on behalf of Infrastructure Victoria with the objective of investigating "Construction of the North-East Link between the eastern freeway and the M80 to improve outer north-south links for road movement and improve travel time and reliability." The report rated the overall contribution to achieving the objective as Low.
