BWA | JUL 2026 15 core public value proposition. In total, the broader program is delivering more than 34 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, including links to Yarra River trails, the Koonung Creek Trail, local parklands, schools, community clubs and station precincts. A balanced profile should also acknowledge that North East Link has not been without scrutiny. Like many large infrastructure projects in Australia, it has faced public attention over cost escalation, construction disruption and tunnelling complexity. In January 2026, tunnelling was paused after a sinkhole opened at AJ Burkitt Oval in Heidelberg. ABC News later reported that investigations found a planned test during excavation had caused the ground to cave in, and that authorities said tunnelling would resume with the incident not expected to add cost or delay to the project. That episode is a reminder that infrastructure of this scale is never just a technical exercise. It is built in public, under communities, beside live roads, and under intense scrutiny. The real test of a major project is not whether it avoids every challenge, but whether it responds transparently, strengthens controls and continues safely. In that sense, North East Link’s construction phase is also a case study in risk management, community trust and engineering discipline. When complete, North East Link is planned to open in 2028, bringing together the tunnels, M80 Ring Road Completion and Eastern Freeway Upgrades into a single operating corridor. The project will be tolled, with the State retaining toll revenues initially through a Stateowned tolling company, while the Eastern Freeway and M80 Ring Road will remain toll free.
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