Improving Melbourne’s network and changing the way people move around Melbourne

Melbourne’s growing eastern corridor has long faced congestion, limited public transport options and a missing link in the city’s orbital road network. The Eastern Freeway had not undergone a major upgrade since the 1990s, leaving communities with increasing travel times, heavy truck movements on local roads and constrained access to key destinations. To close this gap and create a more connected, reliable and sustainable transport network, the Victorian Government committed to widening the freeway, improving public transport links and delivering safer, more accessible walking and cycling connections. The challenge was to design a future‑ready corridor that improves quality of life by reducing congestion, enhancing mobility and strengthening community connections.

Arcadis, as part of the Eastern Freeway – Burke to Tram Alliance with Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority, Symal, Laing O’Rourke and WSP, is delivering the $4.3B upgrade that will transform one of Melbourne’s busiest transport corridors. Our multidisciplinary team provided technical design expertise across road alignment, shared‑use paths, road barriers, pavements, culverts and bridge structures, retaining walls, gantries, flood modelling, drainage, noise walls,  utilities, ITS assets and enabling infrastructure.

We delivered integrated civil, structural, traffic and urban design services to ensure the design met the project’s performance, safety and environmental requirements. With 111 Environmental Performance Requirements to address—including noise and carbon emissions reductions, light spill, waterway protection and ecological considerations—the team developed solutions that balanced engineering ambition with environmental stewardship.

The Eastern Freeway – Burke Road to Tram Road upgrade will reshape how people move across Melbourne’s northeast. With six additional motorway lanes, modern express lanes, advanced traffic management technology and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, the project will significantly reduce congestion and improve travel reliability. Commuters will benefit from up to 35 minutes faster travel times, while 15,000 trucks will be removed from local roads each day—making neighbourhoods safer, quieter and more livable.

A new interchange at Bulleen will seamlessly connect the freeway to the North East Link tunnels, linking the east to the M80 Ring Road and strengthening the city’s transport spine. The project also delivers more than 11 kilometres of upgraded noise walls meeting Victoria’s toughest standards, revitalised wetlands and waterways, and extensive upgrades to Koonung Creek Reserve.