North East Link Early Works

The North East Link (NEL) is part of the Victorian Government’s program of city-shaping infrastructure. NEL will connect the M80 ring road with an upgraded Eastern Freeway, filling in the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network.

We were the lead designer for the early works package with a scope that included detailed design, construction support, and environmental services. The package included the relocation of over 100 utility assets, preparing worksites for the main package, offsetting projects to compensate local schools and sporting clubs, and constructing a multi-story park and ride facility.

The size and complexity of the project presented major challenges, with an environmentally sensitive location and long linear infrastructure needing to be relocated. We managed risks through industry-leading services in utility detection and excavation in high-risk environments, survey and modeling, contamination investigation, remediation, spoil management and digital engineering enablement. Technically challenging aspects of the project were encountered during the works, including the identification of naturally occurring elevated metal concentrations. Soil management programs were applied to allow for disposal or re-use of soils, saving landfill and lowering disposal fees significantly for our client.

The NEL Early Works were successfully completed, setting the stage for major construction works on the road infrastructure. Ultimately, this project will remove 15,000 trucks off local roads daily and reduce travel times by up to 35 minutes.