User:Lakeyboy/Sandbox/EastLink, Melbourne

{{Australian motorway|
|  motorway logo     = EASTLINK LOGO GOES HERE. CANNOT BE USED HERE DUE TO BREACH OF [[WP:FU]]
|  motorway          = [[Image:Australian Alphanumeric State Route M3.PNG|150px]]<br>EastLink
|  length-km         = 39
|  length-mi         = 24
|  direction         = North – South
|  start             = [[Image:Australian Alphanumeric State Route M3.PNG|35px]] '''[[Eastern Freeway]]''',<br>[[Donvale, Victoria|Donvale, Melbourne]]
|  destinations      = [[Ringwood, Victoria|Ringwood]]<br>[[Dandenong, Victoria|Dandenong]]<br>[[Frankston, Victoria|Frankston]]
|  end               = [[Image:Australian State Route 11.svg|25px]] '''[[Frankston Freeway]]''',<br>[[Seaford, Victoria|Seaford, Melbourne]]
|  opening-date      = March 2005
|  completion-date   = [[June 29]] [[2008]]
|  junctions         = '''[[Image:Australian State Route 62.svg|25px]] [[Ringwood Bypass]]<br>[[Image:Australian Alphanumeric State Route M1.svg|35px]] [[Monash Freeway]]<br>[[Dandenong Bypass]]'''
|  motorway owner    = '''[[ConnectEast]]'''
|  motorway operator = '''ConnectEast'''
}}

EastLink is a

subsequently withdrew their earlier offer of partial funding.

EastLink was first derived from the inclusion of a proposed freeway in the

.

EastLink is electronically tolled via overhead

and computer processing. A four week toll-free period was put forward shortly before the freeway was to be opened, to allow motorists to experience the freeway before tolling commenced.

EastLink was designed to blend in with it's surrounds. It features 17 interchanges, with 3 major as well as twin 1.6 km tunnels under the Mullum Mullum Valley. Millions of plants have been planted and wetlands developed to enhance the environmental profile of the freeway. Four large public artworks are also located along the freeway. A concrete shared user path named the EastLink Trail was also built alongside the freeway to enhance cyclist facilities along the freeway corridor.

EastLink was constructed by a joint venture of Australian construction companies Thiess and John Holland,^[3] with mechanical and electrical work contracted to United Group Infrastructure.^[4]

Route Description

Donvale to Ringwood

Basic description of the driving conditions including the tunnels and the Ringwood Interchange and Ringwood Bypass with link to main article of Ringwood Bypass.

EastLink begins at the end of the

interchange, before travelling east under Mitcham Road and Park Road with four lane carrageways before being reduced to three lanes when entering the 1.6km tunnels under the environmentally sensitive Mullum Mullum Valley. The westbound tunnel is named "Mullum Mullum" while the eastbound tunnel is named "Melba".

Ringwood to Dandenong

Basic description of driving conditions including points of interest such as the large golf ball net near Canterbury Road, the pedestrian footbridges and the first piece of art, the "Smarties" (Ellipsoidal Freeway Sculpture). Information about the Monash Freeway (Tom Wills) Interchange will also go here. Info will end with the three levels of road at the Princes Highway.

Dandenong to Carrum Downs

Basic description of the driving conditions including the remaining three major pieces of art as well as a brief description of the Dandenong Bypass with a link to main article of Dingley Freeway. Could include mention of the media coined "Dandy Drag Strip" section (Princes Highway - Cheltenham Road).

History

Planning history

How the freeway first emerged in the Melway in the mid-sixties, the environmental and traffic effects, the merging of the Eastern Freeway extension with the project, the backflip on tolls by Labor and the bidding process.

Construction history

Info about different construction techniques, the break up of construction into different regions, road diversions, speed limit drops, major milestone events (bridge beams lifted, tunnel breakthrough, construction delays (Lilydale rail line bridge delays), dandy bypass opening, naming of road features etc. etc.) the 2 major public open days.

Operation history

Could include tolling information, safety systems of the road, effects on traffic patterns throughout eastern Melbourne, media attention and reactions, traffic levels pre-tolls (school holidays and no school holidays) and post-tolls, traffic management and incident response, security cameras.

Associated features

This section could include information about the EastLink Trail (this will have it's own main article, as per other Melbourne bike trails), the public artworks, upgrades to existing non-eastlink roads (Boronia Road, Ferntree Gully Road, Wellington Road etc), public transport improvements, wetlands and parklands, EastLink shops and main headquarters etc.

List of interchanges

EastLink
Northbound exits	Distance from Eastern Freeway (km)	Distance from Frankston Freeway (km)	Southbound exits
EastLink ends. Road continues as Eastern Freeway to Melbourne.	0	39	EastLink starts. Road continues from Eastern Freeway .
Springvale Road			Springvale Road
Melba Tunnel			Mullum Mullum Tunnel
Ringwood, Mount Dandenong Ringwood Bypass	5	34	Ringwood, Mount Dandenong Ringwood Bypass
Nunawading, Box Hill (left turn only) Maroondah Highway			Ringwood, Box Hill Maroondah Highway
Forest Hill, Heathmont Canterbury Road	7	32	Heathmont, Forest Hill Canterbury Road
Mitcham, Wantirna Boronia Road	9	30	Wantirna, Mitcham Boronia Road
Burwood, Belgrave Burwood Highway	11	28	Belgrave, Burwood Burwood Highway
Glen Waverley, Wantirna South High Street Road	13	26	Glen Waverley, Wantirna South High Street Road
Oakleigh, Scoresby Ferntree Gully Road	16	23	Scoresby, Oakleigh Ferntree Gully Road
Mulgrave, Rowville Wellington Road	18	21	Rowville, Mulgrave Wellington Road
no exit	--	19	Dandenong North, Springvale Police Road
Chadstone, Melbourne Monash Freeway	21	18	Warragul, Melbourne Monash Freeway
Oakleigh, Dandenong Princes Highway	23	16	Dandenong, Oakleigh Princes Highway
no exit	--	13	Cheltenham Road
Dandenong Bypass	28	11	Dandenong Bypass
Mordialloc, Narre Warren Greens Road	30	9	Narre Warren, Mordialloc Greens Road
Thompsons Road	36	3	Thompsons Road
no exit	39	0	Carrum Downs, Cranbourne Rutherford Road
Start EastLink continues from Frankston Freeway			End EastLink continues as Frankston Freeway to Frankston / Portsea

References

External links

• EastLink official website (run by ConnectEast)
• ConnectEast (the developer of EastLink)
• The Southern and Eastern Intergrated Transport Authority (EastLink information)
• SICE (the main contractor for the free-flow tolling system project)