Thousands of construction workers in Victoria are being sought for work on a huge road project which will close a critical missing link in Melbourne’s Freeway network.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrew and Minister for Transport Jacinta Allan last week launched a major recruitment drive for the $15.8 billion North-East Link project.

Set to take 15,000 trucks off local roads each day and slash travel times by up to 35 minutes, the road will link the Metropolitan Ring Road in Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway in Bulleen.

This will complete a missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network and enable motorists to travel between Melbourne’s eastern, northern and western suburbs without needing to leave the freeway.

Features of the project include:

  • Linking of the M80 Ring Road with the Eastern Freeway via two 6.5-kilometre road tunnels
  • An upgrade to the M80 Ring Road including new lands and up-to-date technology and two new green bridges
  • An overhaul of the Eastern Freeway including express lanes and a new green bridge
  • Melbourne’s first dedicated busway
  • 34km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths.

All up, more than 10,000 workers are expected to be needed on the project.

Already, more than 1,000 workers including 100 apprentices are working on the project as work is underway on early works programs to relocate more than 34 kilometres of gas water, sewer pipes, drains and more than 96 facilities as well to upgrade local sports facilities and fast track construction of the new Bulleen Park and Ride.

With the major tunnelling contract awarded to the international Spark consortium under a public private partnership arrangement, hundreds more jobs will be advertised in coming months. In total, as many as 8,000 workers will be needed to build the tunnels alone.

To help fill the roles which are needed to plan, design and build the tunnels, the government has established a Skills and Jobs Centre in Watsonia.

This will help people to connect with apprenticeships, TAFE courses, worksite tickets and licences along with other VET programs.

Roles currently being advertised include a range of positions from traffic, utility and construction engineers to digital engineering specialists, project managers and many levels of project engineer.

Also needed will be contract administrators, commercial managers, community engagement specialists and administration roles.

Across the life of the project, ten per cent of construction hours will be completed by apprentices, trainees and cadets.

In addition, the project has an Aboriginal employment target of 2.5 per cent of the project’s labour hours.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the new road project will create many opportunities.

“North East Link is set to create more than 10,000 jobs – with dozens of jobs now open and hundreds more on the way, we’re providing jobs when our community and economy needs them most,” Andrews said.

“The Skills and Jobs Centre will work with industry to link the right candidates to the right jobs – from opening up career pathways for apprentices and trainees, through to connecting experienced professionals with the project.”

Job opportunities on North East Link or any other of the Victorian Government’s Big Build infrastructure projects can be seen at bigbuild.vic.gov.au/jobs.