EastLink (Melbourne) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids EastLink Victoria
EastLink in May 2016
General information
Type	Freeway
Location	Melbourne
Length	39 km (24 mi)
Opened	29 June 2008
Maintained by	ConnectEast
Route number(s)	M3 (2008–present)
Major junctions
North end	Eastern Freeway Donvale, Melbourne
	Maroondah Highway Burwood Highway Monash Freeway Princes Highway Mornington Peninsula Freeway
South end	Frankston Freeway Seaford, Melbourne
Location(s)
LGA(s)	City of Manningham City of Maroondah City of Knox City of Greater Dandenong City of Frankston
Major suburbs / towns	Ringwood, Wantirna, Scoresby, Rowville, Dandenong North, Keysborough, Carrum Downs, Seaford
Highway system
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Victoria

EastLink is a major toll road in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the M3 freeway and connects the eastern and south-eastern suburbs. This road helps people travel across a large area of Melbourne.

EastLink uses an electronic tolling system. This means there are no cash booths. You pay for your trip using a special device in your car or by registering your car's number plate. This system works with other toll roads in Australia, like CityLink.

The road opened on Sunday, 29 June 2008. For the first month, it was free to use. Regular tolls started on 27 July 2008. Building EastLink cost about A$2.5 billion. It was built by two Australian companies, Thiess Contractors and John Holland.

You will see signs on EastLink directing you to places like Ringwood, Dandenong, Frankston, and Doncaster.

Building EastLink: A Look Back

Construction of EastLink over Boronia Road in Wantirna

Eastlink in December 2009

Early Plans for the Freeway

The idea for this road goes way back to 1969. In a plan for Melbourne's transport, it was called the F35 Freeway.

Why EastLink Was a Big Topic

Building EastLink was a big discussion for many years. Some people worried about how it would affect the environment. Others were concerned it would lead to building a full ring road around Melbourne.

In 1999, the government decided not to build the freeway. Instead, they planned to look into new train and tram lines. However, in 2000, the government changed its mind. They decided to seek money from the national government to build the freeway after all. This change was a surprise to many.

Legal Challenges and Environmental Concerns

In 2001, a university professor named Paul Mees tried to stop the freeway in court. He argued that the road could harm birds, plants, and wetlands. He also believed it was part of a bigger plan for a city-wide ring road. Because of this court case, government officials removed mentions of a "metropolitan ring road" from their plans.

Getting the Project Started

In 2003, a special group called the Southern and Eastern Integrated Transport Authority (SEITA) was set up. Their job was to manage the EastLink project.

In 2004, SEITA chose a company called ConnectEast to design, build, and run EastLink. ConnectEast then hired Thiess John Holland to do the detailed design and construction. ConnectEast owns and manages the road until 2043. After that, the state government will take over.

Construction of EastLink began in March 2005. The road officially opened on 29 June 2008.

Traffic Changes After Opening

When EastLink opened, traffic on nearby roads like Stud, Springvale, and Blackburn Roads dropped by 30% to 40%. However, traffic on the Eastern Freeway increased.

Before tolls started, about 270,868 vehicles used the road daily. After tolls began on 23 July, this number dropped to about 133,722 vehicles per day. This was expected, but it was still less than what was predicted.

How EastLink Got Its Name

Over the years, the project had many different names. People called it the Eastern Ring Road, Scoresby Freeway, Scoresby Bypass, and Mitcham-Frankston Freeway.

On 23 March 2005, when construction began, the Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, announced the new name: EastLink. This name was chosen because it was easy to say and remember.

Two important parts of EastLink also got special names:

• The interchange where EastLink meets the Monash Freeway is called the "Tom Wills Interchange." Tom Wills was a founder of Australian rules football.
• The two tunnels are named "Melba" (for northbound traffic) and "Mullum Mullum" (for southbound traffic).

Where EastLink Goes

EastLink starts at the end of the Eastern Freeway in Nunawading. It then goes through tunnels under the Mullum Mullum Creek area towards Ringwood.

From there, it travels about 40 kilometers south to Frankston. Along the way, it passes through many suburbs. These include Wantirna, Scoresby, Rowville, Dandenong North, Keysborough, and Carrum Downs. It ends at the northern part of the Frankston Freeway.

Most of EastLink has three lanes in each direction. Near the end, between Thompson Road and the Frankston Freeway, it has two lanes in each direction.

How Long Does It Take to Travel?

Normally, it takes about 26 minutes to travel the full length of EastLink. This is split into sections:

• 12 minutes between Frankston Freeway and Monash Freeway.
• 7 minutes between Monash Freeway and Burwood Highway.
• 7 minutes between Burwood Highway and Springvale Road.

However, during busy times, travel can take between 30 and 40 minutes. EastLink usually doesn't get as congested as other freeways in Melbourne. But sometimes, delays can happen after roadworks or incidents. Traffic can also build up where the freeway changes from three to two lanes near Thompsons Road.

EastLink Exits and Connections

LGA	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Whitehorse–Manningham boundary	Nunawading–Donvale boundary	0.0	0.0	Eastern Freeway (M3) – City	This is where the toll road begins; it continues west as the Eastern Freeway.
				Springvale Road (Metro Route 40) – Donvale, Nunawading	A special type of intersection called a Single point urban interchange.
Manningham	Donvale	1.2	0.75	Toll point 1
		1.7– 3.3	1.1– 2.1	Melba Tunnel northbound / Mullum Mullum Tunnel southbound
Maroondah	Ringwood	3.9	2.4	Ringwood Bypass (Metro Route 62) – Ringwood, Lilydale	A type of T-intersection; if you're going north, you use the Maroondah Highway exit.
		4.4	2.7	Maroondah Highway (Metro Route 34) – Ringwood, Lilydale, Box Hill, Mitcham	A modified intersection; if you're going northbound, you can only turn left.
		5.1	3.2	Toll point 2
		6.1	3.8	Canterbury Road (Metro Route 32) – Montrose, Vermont
Knox	Wantirna	6.9	4.3	Toll point 3
		7.6	4.7	Boronia Road (Metro Route 36) – Boronia, Vermont
		8.6	5.3	Toll point 4
	Wantirna–Wantirna South boundary	9.3	5.8	Burwood Highway (Metro Route 26) – Burwood, Ferntree Gully
	Wantirna South	10.2	6.3	Toll point 5
		11.1	6.9	High Street Road (Metro Route 24) – Glen Waverley, Ferntree Gully
		12.2	7.6	Toll point 6
	Scoresby	14	8.7	Ferntree Gully Road (Metro Route 22) – Ferntree Gully, Oakleigh
		15.1	9.4	Toll point 7
		15.3	9.5	Dalmore Drive / Eastlink Outbound BP Service Centre	This exit and entry is only for southbound traffic.
				Eastlink Inbound BP Service Centre	This exit and entry is only for northbound traffic.
	Rowville	16.5	10.3	Wellington Road (Metro Route 18) – Mulgrave, Rowville
		17.3	10.7	Toll point 8
Monash	Mulgrave	18.1	11.2	Police Road (Metro Route 16 west) – Springvale, Dandenong	This exit is only for southbound traffic, and this entrance is only for northbound traffic.
Greater Dandenong	Dandenong North	18.9	11.7	Monash Freeway (M1) – City, Warragul, Melbourne Airport	This is the Tom Wills Interchange; you cannot exit northbound to M1 south-eastbound, and you cannot enter southbound from M1 north-westbound.
		19.3	12.0	Police Road (Metro Route 16 west) – Springvale, Dandenong	This exit is only for northbound traffic, via the Monash Freeway exit ramp.
		20.8	12.9	Toll point 9
	Dandenong North–Dandenong–Noble Park–Noble Park North quadripoint	21.5	13.4	Princes Highway (National Alt Route 1) – Dandenong, City
	Keysborough	25.8	16.0	Toll point 10
		24.3	15.1	Cheltenham Road (Metro Route 10) – Mentone, Dandenong	This exit is for southbound traffic, and this entrance is for northbound traffic.
		25.3	15.7	Dandenong Bypass (State Route 49 west, no shield east) – Keysborough, Dandenong South
		25.8	16.0	Toll point 11
		26.5	16.5	Greens Road (Metro Route 12) – Mordialloc, Narre Warren
	Bangholme	31.3	19.4	Toll point 12
Frankston–Greater Dandenong boundary	Carrum Downs–Bangholme boundary	33.1	20.6	Thompson Road (Metro Route 6) – Carrum, Cranbourne
Frankston	Carrum Downs	35.5	22.1	Toll point 13
		36.9	22.9	Mornington Peninsula Freeway (M11) – Baxter, Rosebud, Portsea	This exit is for southbound traffic going to M11 south-eastbound, and this entrance is for northbound traffic coming from M11 north-westbound.
	Seaford	37.7	23.4	Rutherford Road (B664) – Frankston	This exit is for southbound traffic, and this entrance is for northbound traffic.
				Frankston Freeway (M3) – Frankston	This is the southern end of EastLink; it continues south as the Frankston Freeway.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Dandenong Bypass Connection

A 4.8-kilometer section of the Dingley Freeway, called the Dandenong Bypass, was built as part of the EastLink project. This bypass opened on 9 December 2007.

How EastLink Tolls Work

Ringwood entrance of the tunnels under the Mullum Mullum Valley

Hillcrest Reserve and the Eastlink Melba Tunnel in January 2020

EastLink uses an electronic tolling system called Breeze. This system works with other toll roads in Australia, including the Transurban e-TAG system used on CityLink.

You can pay for tolls in three main ways:

• Using a toll tag: You can have a special electronic tag, like a "Breeze Tag" or an "e-TAG," in your car. The tolls are then charged to your tag account.
• Registering your number plate: You can register a "Breeze non-tag account" with ConnectEast. Cameras take pictures of your car's number plate, and the toll is charged to your account. There might be a small fee for this, but it's waived for motorcycles.
• Buying a trip pass: You can buy a "trip pass" for a single one-way trip on EastLink. You can do this over the phone, on the EastLink website, or at certain shops. These passes are stored until you use them, but they expire after six months.

If you use EastLink without paying beforehand or within three days, you will get an invoice for the toll plus a fee. If you don't pay that, you'll get an overdue notice with another fee. If it's still not paid, the police might issue a fine.

ConnectEast will manage the road until 30 November 2043. After that, the state government will own it.

Toll Prices and Discounts

Inside the Melba (westbound) tunnel

EastLink has several toll points, and each one charges a set fee. The total you pay for a trip is either the sum of the toll points you pass or a maximum trip cap, whichever is less. Taxis pay a fixed price for any travel south of Maroondah Highway.

The cheapest toll points are between Maroondah Highway and High Street Road. The tunnels are the most expensive section. Motorcycle tolls are half the price of cars, and larger vehicles pay higher rates.

There are also discounts:

• You get a 20% discount for car trips on Saturdays or Sundays.
• You also get a 20% discount for short trips between two nearby exits (not including the tunnels) on weekdays.

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EastLink Trail: A Path for Cyclists and Walkers

The EastLink Trail is a special path for walking and cycling. It runs mostly north-south, similar to the EastLink freeway. This path is 3 meters wide and made of concrete. It allows cyclists and pedestrians to travel most of the freeway's length safely. Many major roads are crossed using underpasses or overpasses.

However, some parts of the trail can be tricky. For example, in wet weather, two underpasses (at Ferntree Gully Road and Wellington Road) can flood. When this happens, people using the trail have to cross the busy main roads instead. This can be dangerous and cause long waits.

The EastLink trail ends in Dandenong. From there, you can connect to the Dandenong Creek Trail, which goes to Carrum. You can then join the Peninsula Link trail to reach Frankston and Mornington.

Keep in mind that the shared path doesn't always follow the freeway closely. It connects existing trails with new ones. This means some sections are quite twisty, and you might have to take detours that add more than 3 kilometers to your trip.

A panoramic view of EastLink looking north from the Heatherton Road bridge.

Environmental Efforts and Challenges

Constructing the EastLink bridge over Dandenong Creek, in Ringwood/Wantirna

Many environmental groups were concerned about the EastLink project. They worried about vehicle pollution and how the road would affect natural areas, like the Mullum Mullum Valley and Dandenong Valley Wetlands.

Before construction, a detailed Environmental Effects Statement was prepared in 1998. This report looked at the possible impacts, including an increase in carbon dioxide, effects on groundwater and wetlands, and risks to 38 rare or threatened animal and plant species.

The builders of EastLink stated that the road would help reduce traffic jams. They believed this would lead to smoother traffic flow, using less fuel and producing less pollution. However, some experts suggest that new roads can sometimes encourage more people to drive, which might reduce these benefits over time.

A big discussion during planning was about how to build the road through the Mullum Mullum Valley. The chosen option was to build two 1.6-kilometer tunnels. This was one of the more expensive options, but it was also one of the most environmentally friendly. Other ideas included building the road on the surface or using shorter tunnels.

Even with the tunnels under the Mullum Mullum Gorge, the Ringwood Interchange is built above ground. This part of the project required moving the creek in that area.