Eastern Freeway upgrades from Hoddle Street to Burke Road will add a new bridge over the Yarra River.
Designs for the final stage of the Eastern Freeway Upgrades are now on public exhibition, showing plans for a new walking and cycling bridge over the Yarra River in Kew and 4.7 kilometres of new and upgraded paths. Community feedback is open until 16 November, with major construction set to start in 2026.
Plans also include 6 kilometres of noise-reducing asphalt, 1.9 kilometres of new noise walls designed to match the freeway’s existing rock escarpments, and more than 6,000 trees plus over 400,000 shrubs, groundcovers and grasses. One extra freeway lane will be added in each direction between Chandler Highway and Burke Road to improve traffic flow, along with new traffic management technology.
Eastern Freeway upgrades – Yarra River / Kew
- Public exhibition open until Sunday 16 November
- Major construction starts 2026
- View designs here
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Urban Design and Landscape Plan responds to nearly three years of community consultation and more than 15,000 pieces of feedback received through the project’s planning stages. The new walking and cycling infrastructure will make it quicker and easier to reach Yarra River parklands and the inner city by bike or on foot.
Once complete, the Eastern Freeway Upgrades will connect with the new 6.5 kilometre North East Link, linking Melbourne’s east with the M80 Ring Road. Travel times are expected to drop by 35 minutes, with 15,000 trucks a day removed from local roads.
Greening work will focus on areas where construction is needed, including along new and upgraded paths and around the Chandler Highway and Burke Road interchanges. Community feedback will help finalise the plan before it goes to the Minister for Planning for approval.
Native planting will help restore areas impacted by construction while improving the look of both major interchange sites.
Noise walls will use designs and colours inspired by the freeway’s natural rock formations, while the noise-reducing asphalt will manage traffic noise at the source rather than relying solely on barriers. Community feedback collected through the current exhibition period will help finalise the plan before it goes to the Minister for Planning for approval ahead of construction kicking off next year.
For more information, head here.
