The Eastern Freeway in Melbourne will shut down between Bulleen Road and Doncaster Road from 10pm on 27 March until 5am on 30 March.
The Melbourne freeway closure is part of the North East Link Project (NELP), which needs the freeway clear to install new flyover lanes that will eventually provide entry to and exit from the 6.5-kilometre tunnels currently being bored beneath the north-east.
It’s the latest in a string of weekend closures that have ramped up as the massive infrastructure program pushes toward its 2028 completion.
Where the Melbourne Eastern Freeway closure will hit hardest
- Eastern Freeway closed between Bulleen Road and Doncaster Road — 10pm on 27 March to 5am on 30 March
- Delays of up to 60 minutes expected during peak travel times
- Increased traffic expected on Doncaster Road, Tram Road, Manningham Road and Middleborough Road
- Electronic signs and detour routes will be in place throughout the closure
- For updates and queries — 1800 105 105 or bigbuild.vic.gov.au
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
What Melbourne drivers need to know
If you’re anywhere near the north-east this weekend, the official advice is blunt: avoid the area entirely. Peak-hour delays could stretch to a full hour, and the flow-on effects will ripple across surrounding arterials. Doncaster Road, Tram Road and Manningham Road are all expected to cop significantly heavier volumes than usual, so even if you’re not a freeway user, your local commute could be affected.
The closure enables crews to get the new flyover lanes into position — a critical step in connecting the Eastern Freeway to the North East Link tunnels that passed the halfway point of their underground journey late last year. Once the full project opens, it will link the M80 Ring Road to an upgraded Eastern Freeway, aiming to cut travel times by up to 35 minutes and remove 15,000 trucks from local roads daily.
More Springvale Road works on the horizon
On top of the weekend closure, widening works on the Springvale Road citybound on-ramp are also kicking off. The first phase runs from 9pm on 27 March to 5am on 30 March, with further closures scheduled for 10pm on 8 April through to 24 April, and again from 9pm on 1 May to 5am on 4 May. Works will include barrier installation, noise wall removal, earthworks and drainage relocation, plus construction of a temporary site access from Junction Road Reserve.
The Eastern Freeway upgrade is part of a broader transformation adding over 45 kilometres of new lanes, smart traffic management systems and Melbourne’s first dedicated busway from Doncaster toward the city. Combined with the Suburban Rail Loop tunnelling now underway across the south-east, it’s a period of unprecedented construction activity across the city’s transport network.
For more information, head here.
