Melbourne drivers face 60-minute delays as crews demolish bridge and raise pavement levels during full freeway closure
The Eastern Freeway is closing in both directions between Bulleen Road in Balwyn North and Tram Road in Doncaster from 10pm tonight (17 April) until 5am on 20 April.
The shutdown is part of the broader North East Link program, with Melbourne crews working around the clock to raise the pavement level of the freeway, demolish the remaining sections of the old Doncaster Road bridge and continue building a new walking and cycling bridge at Heyington Avenue.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Where the Melbourne Eastern Freeway closure hits hardest
Delays of up to 60 minutes are expected across the freeway and surrounding roads. The official detour runs north of the freeway via Bulleen, Thompsons, Manningham, Williamsons and Tram roads.
On top of the full shutdown, several citybound entry ramps are also closing for the weekend. The Springvale Road, Blackburn Road and Middleborough Road citybound on-ramps are all out of action from 17 to 20 April, along with the outbound entry from Chandler Highway. That means drivers coming from the outer east won’t be able to jump on until well past the closure zone.
Eastern Freeway disruptions don’t end on Monday
The Springvale Road citybound on-ramp is already closed for a longer stretch — from 8 April through to 24 April — as widening works continue along that section. A further Springvale Road closure is scheduled for 1 to 4 May.
The Elgar Road citybound entry ramp also faces two separate shutdowns: one this weekend (17 to 20 April) and a longer closure running from 29 April to 15 June. The Burke Road exit ramp heading towards Ringwood closes from 22 to 25 May.
What the Eastern Freeway upgrades are building towards
These weekend closures have become a regular feature of the Eastern Freeway upgrades, which form a major component of the North East Link project. The broader program is adding over 45 kilometres of new lanes, smart traffic management systems and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway running from Doncaster toward the city.
Two tunnel boring machines are currently carving out 6.5 kilometres of twin tunnels between Watsonia and Bulleen, with the dig passing its halfway mark late last year. Once complete, the tunnels will connect the upgraded Eastern Freeway to the M80 Ring Road, with the full project set to deliver new express lanes, walking and cycling paths, and extensive landscaping by 2028.
If you’re anywhere near Melbourne’s north-east this weekend, the advice from VicTraffic is straightforward: avoid the area, plan ahead and allow plenty of extra travel time.
For more information, head here.
