EastLink, Melbourne
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This article contains information about a planned or expected future road. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available. |
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- For other meanings, see Eastlink (disambiguation).
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 EastLink |
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| Length | 45 km |
| Direction | North – South |
| Start |  Eastern Freeway,Donvale, Melbourne |
| Primary destinations | Nunawading Ringwood Dandenong Frankston |
| End |  Frankston Freeway,Seaford, Melbourne |
| Construction dates | March 2005 - June 29, 2008 |
| Major junctions |  Springvale Road Ringwood Bypass Monash Freeway Frankston Freeway |
| Owner | ConnectEast |
| Operator | ConnectEast |
EastLink will be a A$2.5 billion tolled freeway linking a large area of Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs. It is a part of Melbourne's Metropolitan Ring Road project. It was originally proposed as a toll-free road, however the state government later reneged and imposed tolls. The Federal Government subsequently withdrew their partial funding. This continues to be a source of ongoing controversy.
EastLink will be electronically tolled with no booths, using a system similar to (and interoperable with) the one used on the CityLink freeway. On May 11, 2008, it was officially announced that EastLink will open to traffic on Sunday June 29, 2008 and in conjuction with the opening, a month long toll-free period will occur before regular tolling commences.
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[edit] Route
EastLink will begin from the eastern end of the Eastern Freeway at Nunawading, tunnelling under the Mullum-Mullum Creek area, heading towards Ringwood. It will then travel 40 km south towards Frankston, going through the suburbs Wantirna, Wantirna South, Scoresby, Rowville, Mulgrave, Dandenong North, Noble Park, Keysborough, Dandenong South, Bangholme, and Carrum Downs, before ending at the northern end of the Frankston Freeway. The majority of the freeway will have three lanes running in each direction, however further to the south it will have mainly two lanes.
[edit] Exits and Intersections
[edit] History
[edit] Management and Recent History
In 2004, the overall project fell under the management of a newly formed SEITA (Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority), an autonomous division of the state Department of Infrastructure. Management of the freeway itself during and after construction is the responsibility of ConnectEast (a privately listed company). Thiess-John Holland, a group formed by the partnership of two major constructon companies, is responsible for the construction of the project.
EastLink's construction began in March 2005, and is scheduled to open on June 29, 2008.
It is reported that EastLink was combined into a single project from the Eastern Freeway Extension Tunnel and the Scoresby Freeway projects by the Victorian State Government in 2003, although the project never had these divisions and the entire length (from the Eastern Freeway at Springvale Road to the Frankston Freeway) was always proposed as the "Eastern Ring Road".
[edit] Naming history
Over the years the name of the project has changed several times.
- It was originally named the Eastern Ring Road during proposal and for decades thereafter, in keeping with Melbourne's proposed ring road system of which the Western and Metropolitan (Northern) Ring Roads are completed.
- Scoresby Bypass was then coined by the media, although it was incorrect as the freeway actually runs straight through the suburb of Scoresby rather than bypassing it. The total project encompasses many suburbs and why the suburb of Scoresby was chosen to be "bypassed" by the media is unknown. Signs were erected at some points along the route, declaring it as the proposed "Eastern Ring Road - Scoresby Section", and for a period of time during the 1980s the Melway street directories reflected this (later it was changed to "Scoresby Freeway").
- It then became referred to as the Mitcham to Frankston Freeway another name coined by the Melbourne media. This name was also incorrect as the project does not begin in Mitcham, nor does it end in Frankston.
- After heated political resolution, it was finally proposed that the project would be called EastLink. The new name was announced by then Premier Steve Bracks at a ceremony in Rowville, on 23 March 2005.[1] The new name was reportedly chosen because it is easier to say and apparently easier to remember and fit on the street directories. It is likely that the name was inspired by that of CityLink, Melbourne's only other toll road (see note on tolling below).
Many residents believe there was nothing wrong with its original name, and argue that although most never knew what its original name was, it would have been much easier to remember and lead to no confusion.
On February 27, 2008, it was announced that the EastLink / Monash Freeway interchange would be named the "Tom Wills Interchange", after the founder of Australian rules football Tom Wills.[2]
On March 24, 2008 Tim Pallas announced that the twin tunnels would be named 'Melba' and 'Mullum Mullum', in the inbound and outbound direction, respectively[3].
[edit] Tolling
EastLink will be electronically tolled and toll charges will be made via transmitting electronic devices called "tags" which are placed on the inside of the windscreen of the vehicle behind the rear vision mirror. Tolls can be charged in three different ways.
- By having any Australian electronic tolling "tag" in the vehicle you are travelling in, as long as the vehicle is registered to the tag owner's database.
- By registering a video account with ConnectEast. A photograph of the number plate of the vehicle will be taken and matched to the account holder, charging the account holder the toll plus a small processing fee (23¢).
- By purchasing a 72 hour "trip pass" from ConnectEast either over the telephone, the EastLink website or at the six customer service centres throughout eastern Melbourne.
If a driver travels on EastLink without taking any of the three actions above to pay for the toll(s), a "safety net" will be applied and the cost of the toll(s) plus a account processing fee will be sent to the registered vehicles' owner. If they do not pay the safety net bill, they will receive a AUD$100 fine.
[edit] Prices and discounts
Prices for the use of the tollway vary greatly. For cars, a one way trip between two consecutive interchanges starts from 33¢ for sections between Maroondah Highway and High Street Road, right up to a one way trip through the tunnel section between Maroondah Highway / Ringwood Bypass and Springvale Road which costs $2.28. Lower rates apply to motorcycles while higher rates apply for some 4WD's, some utility vehicles, buses and trucks.
Discounts are also offered to car drivers. A 20% discount applies to the cost of any trip(s) taken on a Saturday or Sunday and also to one way trips between two consecutive interchanges (excluding the tunnels) on weekdays. At any time, cars will not be charged more than $4.96 for a one way trip on EastLink.
[edit] "Breeze" tag
ConnectEast has developed a tag called "Breeze" specifically for EastLink, but can be used on any electronic toll road in Australia including CityLink. It is about half of the size of the CityLink developed tag, the "e-TAG". It's design represents the "free flow driving experience that EastLink will provide". The Breeze tag will be available to obtain from June 9, 2008.
[edit] Shared pedestrian/bicycle path (EastLink Trail)
A shared walking/cycle path is also planned to follow the same route as the EastLink project. According to SEITA, once complete, cyclists and pedestrians will be able to cycle or walk the entire distance uninterrupted along a 3 metre wide dedicated concrete path.[4][5][6]
The path will follow the tollway as follows:
- Mullum Mullum Valley, Ringwood Bypass, Schwerkolt Cottage and Eastland (Mullum Mullum Creek Trail) to;
- Simpsons Park / Heatherdale Reserve Proclamation Park to;
- Koomba Park via Dandenong Creek Trail to Wantirna Reserve on to;
- Blind Creek / Llewellyn Park Complex on (Blind Creek Trail) to;
- Nortons Park, Shepherds Bush, Drummies Bridge Reserve to;
- Jells Park Trail Network and Chesterfield Farm;
- Mulgrave Reserve / Dandenong Creek and Tirhatuatan Park through to;
- Fotheringham Reserve Trail to Mile Creek and Greaves Reserve via Dandenong Creek trail to;
- National Watersports Complex, Patterson Lakes open space, Carrum Foreshore or via Ray Dove Reserve, Edithvale Wetland, Seaford, Frankston Foreshore and the Port Phillip Bay Trail Network beyond.
There are also footbridges being built over roads such as the Maroondah Highway and the Princes Highway. A 60 metre footbridge is also being built over Burwood Highway at the Mountain Highway intersection. Most intersections on the path will be grade separated, however in a few cases, the crossing is via pedestrian signals.
[edit] Controversies
- The biggest controversy surrounding this project has been the issue of tolls. The Victorian Government, led by Steve Bracks, initially gave an undertaking that the road would be toll free, a promise on which they later reneged. This led to a total withdrawal of what had been partial federal funding of the project. This policy change has caused much debate, discussion and some resentment in some quarters, and was a major issue in the run up to the 2002 state election. The Victorian Government's position is that project was not viable without tolls.
- The Federal government withdrawal of funding was based on the premise that funding was only available for the road if the road was toll free. However, at the same time, they were also funding a tolled freeway in Sydney, the Westlink motorway. This led to the controversial belief in some quarters that the funding withdrawal was solely designed to discredit the Victorian Government, rather than being driven by a reluctance to fund toll roads.
- The Victorian State opposition, led by Robert Doyle, initially opposed any form of tolling on the road. Subsequently this policy was changed to support tolls. The opposition leadership now led by Ted Ballieu continues to support tolls.
- During the planning stages of the project, businesses in the Rutherford Road industrial area (located at the Southern terminus of the freeway) wanted access via on/off ramps to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and Frankston Freeway, in addition to EastLink. Prior to this project they had an off ramp only from the Mornington Peninsula Freeway; into the industrial area. Under Eastlink, this will be retained, but no onramps will be built onto these existing roads. The Mornington Peninsula Freeway, and the Frankston Freeway, despite being on their doorstep will be inaccessible. The only onramp from Rutherford Road will be onto EastLink, Northbound.
- One of the terms of the contract between the private company managing the freeway and the State Government is that should the State Government close any public roads, leading to a measurable increase in traffic (and therefore revenue) on the toll road, the State Government would be entitled to 50% of the revenue increase resulting from the public road closures. This has triggered speculation that the government may close some public roads to boost its own revenue. A possibility is that the government will close a lane in each direction on Springvale road, a public road that runs parallel to the Eastlink freeway. To justify the lane closures, the State Government could argue that traffic volumes had been reduced on Springvale road by the Eastlink and that the closed lanes would be more suitable as bus-only lanes.[citation needed] New northbound lanes have recently been constructed as Bus Only lanes between Waterways Estate and Cheltenham Road. These may be extended further north along Springvale Road.
- On August 28, 2006, due to the late completion of bridge preparation works on the Belgrave and Lilydale railway line, the line was closed for the morning with inadequate warning to commuters of the closure of the line between Blackburn and Ringwood stations causing chaos at Ringwood where lengthy queues formed for the replacement buses. Passengers at Heatherdale, Mitcham and Nunawading stations were stranded because of the mess where the delay was caused by the portable crane "Snow White" being unable to operate near the rail line where bridge supports are being constructed. The ground was too soft for the crane and gravel had to be ordered in causing the delay. Theiss John Holland has to pay penalties to Connex Melbourne while commuters will not be reimbursed.[7]
- Finally, many in the local area at the Southern end of EastLink argue that EastLink will in fact funnel much more traffic onto the Frankston Freeway, which will only aggravate the existing congestion at the Frankston Freeway terminus; at the corner of McMahons Road and Cranbourne road. They argue further that a Frankston Bypass is necessary, to complete the missing link in the currently split Mornington Peninsula Freeway. This has received much attention in local Frankston newspapers. VicRoads argue that their research indicates no such congestion will occur. The Frankston Bypass route has long been marked in the Melway street directory. Former Victorian Transport Minister Peter Batchelor, has in the past said that "just because a future freeway appears in the Melway, does not mean that the road is planned or will ever actually be built". Frankston Council has been in talks with EastLink, with a view to getting the bypass built from EastLink to as far as Cranbourne Road. In addition, the local MP for the Federal seat of Dunkley, Bruce Billson, is also working with local councils with a view to applying pressure on the state government for the Frankston Bypass to be built.[8]
[edit] Environmental issues
Many environmental groups in Melbourne's east and south-east object to the project, due to a number of factors, including vehicle emissions and disruption of habitat (in places such as the Mullum Mullum Valley and Dandenong Valley Wetlands). However, the road was the subject of an extensive Environmental Effects Statement (June 1998), which was followed by an extensive public hearing process in April 1999 before the final Government decision to proceed.
According to EastLink's builders, the road will relieve traffic congestion throughout Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs, resulting in more efficient traffic flow, therefore reducing fuel consumption and exhaust output.[9]
During the planning phase (then a VicRoads project), a large debate surrounding damage to the Mullum Mullum Valley occurred. A number of options for the path of the road through the valley were considered. The option chosen - for two 1.6 km tunnels - was the second-to-most expensive, and the second-to-most environmentally friendly.[10] Other options considered in planning included a surface road for the entire length, much shorter tunnels, and slightly longer tunnels.
[edit] Construction progress
All major construction has now been completed and Eastlink is now set to open on June 29, 2008. Pedestrians will be able to walk the entire length of the tollway on the 15th of June 2008. Finishing works and clean-up is set to occur over the next few weeks.
Tunnel lining is just about completed. All bridges are complete, with many of them open. Electrical service installation (including tolling equipment, street lights and traffic lights) is well underway along the entire route, and in some locations has been tested and are already in operation.
- Minor residential works, including road truncations and intersections in the Ringwood, and Mullum Mullum Valley regions are currently being constructed.
- The bridge of Heatherton Road over the intersection of EastLink and Princes Highway was opened on 2007-07-02. As a result, there will be no direct access to Princes Highway from Heatherton Road (or vice-versa) until a link road is constructed in the future. This will be the last project built (after EastLink is open on June 29, 2008) and therefore it is now anticipated that this link will be completed by the contract date of November 2008.
- Alternate access between Heatherton Road and Princes Highway is currently available via Gladstone and Chandler Roads with all major intersections receiving a minor traffic signal upgrade.
- The Ryder Street loop is also now open to local traffic.
- The Monash Freeway speed limit will remain at 80km/h until the completion of EastLink. Additionally, the Jacksons Road eastbound ramp opened on 2007-07-23 and as a result, the Police Road eastbound ramp is permanently closed.
- The entire tollway is sealed.
- The Dandenong Bypass was the first of three major roads (the other two being the Ringwood Bypass and EastLink itself) to open to traffic twelve months earlier than expected on 9 December 2007.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ Silkstone, Dan. "Naming and blaming launches tollway", The Age, 2005-03-24, pp. 10.
- ^ EastLink interchange honours one of football's founders SEITA. February 27 2008]]. Retrieved on March 26, 2008.
- ^ East Link Twin Tunnels named as Melba and Mullum Mullum Herald Sun March 24, 2008.
- ^ Melbourne and Geelong's shared paths in Google Maps
- ^ Melbourne and Geelong's shared paths in Google Earth
- ^ Thiess John Holland - shared path information
- ^ "Chaos after EastLink bungle", Herald Sun, 2006-08-28, pp. Internet Article.
- ^ (2006-04-10) Mornington Peninsula Shire Council Meeting Minutes. [1], Internet Article.
- ^ Gardiner, John (March 2006). "In the Headlights", EastLink News (PDF), ConnectEast, page 2. Retrieved on 2006-07-23. “Vehicles travelling at reasonably consistent speeds use less fuel ... emissions are all reduced by better and more consistent speeds.”
- ^ Costa, Gabrielle. "Government compromises on freeway", The Age, 2000-10-14, p. 4.
- ^ Dandenong Bypass opens early with EastLink set to follow (html), SEITA. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official website
[edit] Associated organisations
- ConnectEast (the developer of EastLink)
- Thiess-John Holland, (the group constructing EastLink)
- The Southern and Eastern Intergrated Transport Authority (EastLink information)
- SICE (the main contractor for the free-flow tolling system project)
[edit] Other links
- EastLink Flyover - a video clip from heraldsun.com.au showing aerial footage of the EastLink route
- ABC Online Report on project groundbreaking
- Justice Gray's ruling on the likelihood of the Scoresby Freeway being a catalyst for further freeway building in environmentally sensitive areas
