The M80 Ring Road Completion will close a long‑standing gap in Melbourne’s orbital road network by completing the freeway through Greensborough and Watsonia. Delivered as part of the North East Link Program, the Project will connect the M80 Ring Road with the North East Link tunnels and the upgraded Eastern Freeway, creating a continuous freeway‑standard route through Melbourne’s north.
The Project is designed to take thousands of cars and trucks off local roads, remove traffic lights, and improve traffic flow by allowing through‑traffic to pass under local streets including Grimshaw Street, Elder Street and Watsonia Road. AECOM is the designer within the M80 Ring Road Alliance.
In addition to road upgrades, the Project includes new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, landscaped bridges at Elder Street and Watsonia Road, and improved local connections to Watsonia Station, shops and community spaces. These features are intended to give local roads back to local communities while improving safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.
Designing a complex transport corridor: A connected response to capacity, safety and community needs
The M80 Ring Road Completion is delivering 14 kilometres of new lanes between Plenty Road and Watsonia, as well as fully grade‑separated interchanges, and major road and rail infrastructure in a constrained urban environment. The scope includes:
- Three new freeway interchanges
- New or upgraded bridges and other major structures
- A 490‑metre cut‑and‑cover rail tunnel along the Hurstbridge Line
- More than 10 kilometres of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths
AECOM is the designer non‑owner participant within the M80 Ring Road Alliance, working alongside the Victorian Government and construction partners ACCIONA and MACA. Our role covers planning and design of the permanent works, integrating civil, structural, rail, landscape, urban design, hydrology, ecology, acoustics and digital engineering expertise.
The solution balances technical performance with long‑term liveability – using grade separation to improve safety and reliability, while investing in landscaping, land bridges and active transport connections to reconnect communities divided by infrastructure.
Embedding sustainability: Platinum‑rated design with measurable outcomes
Sustainability has been embedded into the Project’s governance and decision‑making rather than treated as a separate workstream. The design achieved a Platinum Design Rating (88.7 points) under the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) Rating Scheme v2.1 — the highest design score awarded under this version of the scheme.
Key contributors include:
- Integrating sustainability into safety in design processes
- Elevating climate risk and long‑term resilience as core design considerations
- Trialling low‑carbon materials alongside durability and maintenance requirements
- Developing a comprehensive Green Infrastructure Plan which guides urban greening, biodiversity enhancement, passive cooling, and water‑sensitive urban design across the corridor
Digital engineering
Digital engineering has underpinned delivery. Discipline‑wide 3D models with embedded quantity, carbon and sustainability attributes support the transparent tracking of materials, costs and emissions. Automation and data‑driven reporting have improved coordination across a nationally distributed design team and enabled the timely identification of risks, value opportunities and sustainability outcomes throughout the design program.
Outcomes that extend beyond the road: Improved mobility, stronger communities and long‑term value
The M80 Ring Road Completion is designed to remove up to 19,000 cars and trucks per day from Greensborough Road, helping to return neighbourhood streets to community use. By helping to fix the missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network and bypassing multiple traffic signals, the Project supports safer, more reliable journeys for freight, commuters and airport traffic.
Beyond transport efficiency, the Project delivers broader public value. New and upgraded walking and cycling paths improve local connectivity and accessibility. Landscaped bridges, land bridges, and Indigenous‑led co‑design embed cultural meaning, ecological connectivity and place‑based identity into the corridor. Design optimisation has contributed to significant construction cost savings, and our team delivered a design program that will enable construction to finish earlier than scheduled.
These outcomes demonstrate how large‑scale transport infrastructure can support economic productivity while strengthening environmental performance, cultural recognition and community wellbeing. The M80 Ring Road Completion shows what’s possible when sustainability, digital capability and collaborative delivery are treated as foundations for better long‑term decisions.