Deciding where to build First steps Our first step was to define what this project must achieve.

Why we chose Corridor A This gave us measures to assess how well different corridor options did, North East Link will finally fix the missing link or didn’t, perform. in ’s freeway network. The measures covered areas including It will provide a safe and efficient strategic planning, technical studies • Easing congestion connection for up to 135,000 vehicles and consultation with communities. • Cutting travel times a day, and give local roads back • Taking trucks off local roads to local communities. This fact sheet outlines the key steps and stages in the decision-making • Improving access to jobs Deciding where to build North East Link process and answers some of the and education was informed by almost one year of most common questions people ask us. • Connecting industrial and freight centres • Improving public transport, ’s priority road project walking and cycling links • Minimising impacts on communities North East Link is Infrastructure of the most congested parts Victoria’s highest priority road project. of Melbourne. • Minimising impacts on the environment Their advice to Government was They recommended the project to fast-track North East Link to start with a detailed assessment The measures were connect people to jobs and growing of different corridor options to make • Developed before the corridor options employment centres, move freight sure North East Link is built where it • Informed by what communities told us faster and more reliably around our will deliver the most benefit for local they want North East Link to achieve city and stop rat runs through some communities, Melbourne and Victoria.

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Corridor options we assessed We looked at four corridor options for North East Link

Corridor Connections to the existing road network What’s a corridor? Corridor A Greensborough/Watsonia North, Yallambie/Rosanna and Bulleen A corridor is a broad area where Corridor B Greensborough/Watsonia North, Viewbank/Lower Plenty, a road could go. It’s usually much Donvale and Ringwood bigger than the final design will need and used in early planning to get Corridor C Greensborough, Diamond Creek, Donvale and Ringwood a general idea of where a project Corridor D Kangaroo Ground, Lilydale, and Ringwood could be built.

How were the corridor options assessed?

The corridors were taken through three At the end of all the assessments, benefits the project will deliver assessment levels. If a corridor didn’t Corridor A performed best overall and and recommend how it could, pass a level, it was put aside. was recommended as the one to be built. and should, be funded.

Only Corridor A and C made it to the final, Corridor A was also used to prepare most detailed assessment level. a business case that explained the

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Strategic merit test Rapid appraisal Detailed appraisal

The corridors were tested to Benefits Vs costs were compared. If a The remaining corridors were see if they could deliver what corridor would cost more than it would tested in detail against all the North East Link needs to achieve. deliver in benefits, it was put aside. assessment measures.

The findings from this level were shared with communities so we could check if our approach was on the right track before continuing with the assessments. Why corridor A was selected Corridor A performed three times better than Corridor C to ease Corridor A performed best against all the assessment the squeeze on some of the most measures and best delivers what North East Link needs to do. congested roads in Melbourne’s north-east. Corridor A: Early traffic modeling found • Takes the most cars and trucks • Provides the best opportunities Corridor A would take up to off local roads to improve walking and cycling 150,000 cars and trucks off roads • Connects more people to jobs and • Requires less homes like Chandler Highway, Rosanna education where Melbourne is growing • Has less impact on sensitive Road and Greensborough • Provides the best opportunities to environmental areas Highway a day compared to improve public transport by putting • Delivers the greatest benefits for cost just 54,000 with Corridor C. services where they’re needed most

Getting the most cars and trucks off local roads

To get the most cars and trucks off local roads, North East Link needs to get the most people and goods where they need to go. Whether it’s a long trip from Dandenong to Tullamarine, or a short trip from Watsonia to Box Hill.

Corridor A works for long trips and short trips - taking the most cars and trucks off local roads.

Corridor C would have been a good option for long trips, but most people making short trips would have kept using local roads.

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Many people ask us if a road further Corridor A sits inside the urban growth boundary, connects key growth areas in the north and out would have better suited where south and best supports how and where Melbourne is growing. Melbourne will grow.

How and where our city will grow is guided Corridor C would have sat outside by a strategic urban growth boundary. the boundary and encouraged It limits growth in the east and directs it north, growth in areas where it’s south and west. It’s fixed until 2050. not planned.

A ‘ring road’ doesn’t have to be round Unlike many cities, Melbourne isn’t growing in a neat circle. We’re growing to the north, west and south. This gives Melbourne its own unique shape, and our road network needs to match it. While a circle might look good on a map, it wouldn’t have fit how our city works.

Benefits for buses, bikes and feet

Communities let us know very early on how important it is to plan North East Link as a project for all types of transport - not just cars and trucks.

We looked carefully at which corridor Once finished, North East Link will have The busway along the Eastern Freeway would best support public transport, built more than 25 kilometres of new will be the first dedicated busway in walking and cycling. This included and upgraded paths including some Melbourne, giving passengers faster, opportunities to deliver projects of Victoria’s strategic cycling corridors. smoother trips and pave the way for recommended in strategic plans such These are paths identified by the more buses to run more often. as Plan Melbourne, which is guiding the Victorian Government and local councils growth of our city for the next 35 years. to provide more direct journeys and By taking the most cars and trucks encourage more people to get on a bike. off local roads, Corridor A also makes the most space for buses and cyclists Corridor A also delivers Infrastructure to travel on less congested roads. Corridor A creates Victoria’s recommendation to upgrade the Doncaster Area Rapid Transit the best opportunities (DART) bus system. to improve existing walking and cycling paths and build new links to connect them up. Looking after the environment and communities

Building a project like North East Link is challenging and all the corridor options would have had some impact on communities and the environment.

The impacts for Corridor A and Corridor Corridor C would have: • Crossed three waterways where C on communities were found to be listed species are likely to be • Required around 60 hectares of native about the same. found (Plenty River, Diamond vegetation to be cleared (compared Creek and Mullum Mullum Creek). to 10 hectares for Corridor A) Both require homes, businesses and open space, impact community facilities • Impacted around 95 hectares and are close to residential areas. of areas identified as having high ecological value (compared to Corridor A was found to have less 50 hectares for Corridor A) impacts on the environment.

Supporting trips between our city’s north and east

North East Link will carry Who will be going where on North East Link? people and goods that need to move between GREENSBOROUGH our city’s north and east.

Around 75% of all traffic that will 75% Of trips will use North East Link will be travelling be between between our city’s north and east. the north and east/ Most will be heading towards south-east destinations like Doncaster and No Box Hill and will exit the Eastern increase in traffic Freeway before the EastLink tunnels. Key destinations to CBD include Box Hill, Doncaster and Around 25% of traffic will travel west. Ringwood Most will exit the Eastern Freeway 75% 25% 4% before the city. 55% 30% Traffic modelling has found that there RINGWOOD will be no increase in traffic heading CBD to the CBD because of North East Link.

North East Link is building Victoria’s longest twin road tunnels to protect homes and sensitive environmental areas including the Yarra River, Banyule Flats and Warringal Parklands. Involving communities in the decision Conversations with communities about North East Link started much earlier than is usual for projects of this kind. Your top priorities for North East Link This meant communities helped set process that considered all the the big picture planning outcomes opportunities, benefits and issues the project needs to deliver. for each corridor. Not a popular vote. Get trucks off local roads

Overwhelmingly we heard you want Was the decision where Plan for population North East Link to cut travel times, ease to build North East Link growth congestion, get trucks off local roads already made when the and improve public transport now, and options were released? Improve travel times well into the future as Melbourne grows. The corridors had only been through Corridor A is the option identified the first level of assessments when Improve public transport to best deliver these outcomes. we released them to the public. Why didn’t we just hold a vote? It was important to share the results Minimise impacts with communities early to check if on communities Communities told us the decision we were measuring the right things, where to build North East Link should be and if we needed to consider Corridor A is the option that best informed by technical studies, detailed anything else before we kept going. assessments and a fair consultation delivers these outcomes.

How communities got involved

Early 2017 Mid 2017 Late 2017

Phase Announcing the corridor Defining what North East Link Assessing the corridors and preparing for planning needs to achieve approvals

To take a look at the results from What problems the project the first assessment stage and tell needs to solve, what it needs What areas of the project We asked us if we had the measures right to achieve and what’s you were most interested and whether the assessments for communities… important to consider in in being involved in next each corridor so far were missing planning North East Link. anything important.

How to assess how Further studies and Your feedback How we got communities well different corridor assessments into how the involved next helped inform… options performed corridors were performing

7,400+ people completed 2,845+ people gave feedback 135+ people gave feedback an online survey online, at events and by email online and at events

What about cost? Where to get more information None of the options for North East Link were cheap. The information in this fact sheet has While communities told us cost delivers what North East Link come from the project Business Case. shouldn’t be the deciding factor, needs to achieve. If you’re interested to read more you can find it on our website: you were very clear this project Building a more expensive must deliver value for money. option that achieved much northeastlink.vic.gov.au/publications/ Corridor A was the least expensive less just didn’t make sense. businesscase option. But more importantly, it best

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Contact us [email protected] Translation service – 1800 105 105 For languages other than English, please call 03 9209 0147 northeastlink.vic.gov.au Please contact us if you would like this North East Link Project information in an accessible format. GPO Box 4509, Melbourne VIC 3001 If you need assistance because of a hearing or Authorised and published by the Victorian speech impairment, please visit relayservice.gov.au Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne