SG Talk

A tunnelling on the state govt’s $26 billion North East Link has come to a halt after a sinkhole emerged near the road project’s two boring machines. The 4000-tonne boring machines, named Zelda and Gillian, will stop digging while engineers investigate the problem that occurred near the Lower Plenty worksite. “Our expert engineers [are] running a very thorough investigation to try to understand exactly what has happened and why, with a plan to review those [tunnel boring machine] operations as soon as possible, hopefully in coming days,” she said.

project, which will connect the Eastern Freeway in Bulleen with the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough, is predicted to take 15,000 trucks off suburban streets and cut travel times by half an hour.
The 10-kilometre road has been plagued by budget blowouts, with the most recent estimate in December 2023 putting the cost at $26 billion.https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/north-east-link-cost-blows-out-by-10-billion-20231215-p5err2.html

Substantial work has already begun on the road, with houses acquired and road works underway in north-eastern Melbourne. Allan said the project “had been talked about for the best part of 60 years”.“We had a choice about whether we don’t proceed with getting this project right and leave it for another government in 60 years time or we get in there and do this project once & do it right & that’s the choice that we’re making,” she said.

Treasurer Tim Pallas was asked if he had ever sought to pause the SRL, and whether the state could afford to build all the infrastructure currently in the works. He said he hadn’t because the projects were good for the Victorian economy.

“Would I prefer not to have to pay more for infrastructure? Would I prefer to pay less? Absolutely,” Pallas said. “We cannot afford to disinvest in the Victorian community, and that’s essentially the flip side of that coin.”