Tunnel boring machine sets sail

Aug 29, 2023

The first of 2 massive tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will dig the North East Link Tunnels is on a ship to Melbourne, as we get ready for tunnelling to start next year.

The parts of the 4000-tonne custom built TBMs will be trucked in sections from the Port of Melbourne, with rolling night-time lane closures on the M80 Ring Road starting from September. There will also be major disruptions on Greensborough Road as these large deliveries take place.

The 15.6m diameter TBMs will take around 6 months to assemble on site, with the parts lowered into the ground by a massive a 550-tonne gantry crane. The TBMs will then work day and night digging the 6.5km twin tunnels from Watsonia to Bulleen – taking traffic under, instead of through, suburbs.

Major work sites are being established from Watsonia to Bulleen, as we get ready for the arrival of these massive machines. A 200m long tunnel launch area is being built on the eastern side of Greensborough Road with a 13m high shed being built to store the concrete segments that will line the tunnel walls.

A large, covered conveyor belt is also starting to take shape, that will transport the dirt from the TBM tunnels across Greensborough Road into a second shed at Winsor Reserve, where it will be safely loaded onto covered trucks. There will be a full overnight closure on Greensborough Road in late September to install the enclosed conveyor across Greensborough Road.

Further south, crews are moving Bulleen Road further west, to make space to build the new Yarra Link green bridge over Bulleen Road – which will link Koonung Creek Trail to Bulleen Park for the first time. The existing Bulleen Road will stay open until the realigned section is complete later this year.

Take a look at our video below to learn how Victoria’s longest twin road tunnels will be built.