M80 Ring Road Completion

Project Details

Rating Type: Design
Location: VIC
Rating Level: Platinum
Rating Score: 88.7

Assessor Name: Ross Brookshaw, Marian Syme
IS Project manager: Luke Sammut
Stakeholders: ACCIONA,North East Link Program ,AECOM,ACCIONA/ MACA, Department of Transport and Planning

Description:

We’re connecting the M80 Ring Road to the North East Link tunnels and upgraded Eastern Freeway – taking cars and trucks off local roads and skipping 18 traffic lights on a trip to the airport.

The completed M80 Ring Road will take 19,000 cars and trucks a day off Greensborough Road with through traffic passing under Grimshaw Street, Elder Street and Watsonia Road – giving local roads back to local people.

New free-flowing interchanges at the M80 Ring Road and Grimshaw Street will ease congestion and slash travel times, with dedicated lanes for local trips and express lanes to the North East Link tunnels.

More than 10km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths, including a new accessible overpass at Macorna Street and a bright and wide underpass at Yando Street, will make it safer and easier to move about local suburbs.

New landscaped bridges at Elder Street and Watsonia Road will improve connections for locals, making it safer and easier to walk, ride and drive to Watsonia Station and local shops.

Rating Highlights

Category	Credits	Achievements
Place	Pla-2	Creating the following improvements: Biophilic design Positive interaction between people and nature Maximise repeated and sustained engagement Improve physical and mental health and wellbeing Emotional Connection to settings and place Increased connectivity for the benefit of the community. Movement – improved movement of people and goods safely. Place – improved land-use and user experience
Innovation	Inn-1	Australian first for the Implementation of: Temporary cardboard hording/noise walls Electric Piling Rig Vinidex StormFlo under pavement Ultra Low Warm Mix Asphalt Rubber T-Lock barriers Victoria First for the Implementation of: Ekopipe high SCM concrete mix ACM Concrete - High recycled content mix Robovoid recycled plastic void formers In L shape retaining walls GFRP Bridge Deck (currently in design and scheduled to be Installed imminently)
Energy	Ene-1	Modelled and well on the way to achieving a 43% reduction in construction GHG emissions.
	Ene-2	Modelled and well on the way to achieve a 24% renewable energy target in a hard to abate sector.
Resource Efficiency and Management	Rso-1	Strategic approach to Resource use and waste to create high recycled content well more than 35% and 99% In compound development, and greater circularity. Also created a simple measurement tool to calculate circularity.
	Rso-6	28% reduction in Material Life Cycle impacts
Ecology	Eco-1	Creating Ecological value with over 50% project-led restoration.
Legacy	Leg-1	Creating legacy: Solar on the local community pavilions Significant enhancement of connectivity through Shared User Path and access. Creating a new way of Indigenous Co-design.
Heritage	Her-1	Legacy from Co-design on the asset with 3 distinct themes: Revealing Country at the M80 interchange which includes Vistas Scarring Movement Ridgelines High Canopy trees Infrastructure recessive to landscape Restoring Country at Yando Underpass Flora/ Fauna Ecology Connection to Plenty River Middle storey planting with acacias playing the larger role Infrastructure more in balance with landscape Celebrating Country at Grimshaw Precinct Urban Character Slower pace Education Connecting people Lower story planting Infrastructure more prominent with landscape supporting

Verified Innovations

Name	Verification Date	Innovation Type	Description
Temporary cardboard hording/noise walls	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Australia First	Australian first use of a recycled cardboard hoarding which realised the following benefits for the project: The reuse of 7,887kg of post-consumer Tetrapaks 9,235.2 kg of post-consumer soft plastics, 10,058 kg of post-consumer Composite fibres. Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction of 19,505.76 kg CO2e compared to using 17mm Plyboard
Electric Piling Rig	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Australia First	Australian first use of the Liebherr LB30 'Unplugged' electric piling rig, an ACCIONA Geotech asset, for piling works across the project. The electricity provided to the electric piling rig has been a combination of grey hydrogen and green electricity which delivering the following benefits: 569 tCO2e reduction in Scope 1 carbon emissions
Vinidex StormFlo under pavement	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Australia First	Australian first use of Vinidex StormFlo, a flexible recycled plastic pipe, for subsurface drainage under load leading to 12.319 tCO2-e savings for the project.
Ekopipe High SCM concrete mix	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Victoria First	A Victorian First use of EkoPipe, a low carbon reinforced concrete pipe from RCPA resulting in a savings of 5,178.312 kg CO2-e for the project.
Rubber T-Lock barriers	14/10/2025	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Australia First	Australian First use of SafeRoads' Rubber T-Lok safety barriers, a concrete barrier which contains recycles tyres to replace a portion of the coarse aggregate, reducing the impact force in crash events whilst providing a use for end-of-life crumb rubber from tyres. The Project realised the following benefits: Diverted 2.3 tonnes of tyre rubber from landfill 32% reduction in Portland Cement Increased Safety for vehicle occupants, reduced deceleration forces through improved energy absorption and deflection capability.
ACM Concrete	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Victoria First	Victorian first use of the UR32 sustainable concrete mix from Aurora Construction Materials (ACM) which includes manufactured sand replacing 40% and recycled crushed concrete as 100% replacement of coarse aggregate, and 65% reduction in Portland cement, "stretching sustainability and industry standards". The project saved 139 tCO2-e for the 801m3 laid.
Ultra Low Warm Mix Asphalt	14/10/2025	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Australia First	Australian first product, Ultra-Low Warm Mix asphalt developed and supplied by Downer, which lowers the temperature at which asphalt is conditioned, mixed and compacted - reducing embodied carbon emissions. The lower temperatures led to an 11% reduction in fuel consumption and 33% embodied carbon emission reduction was achieved through lowering mix temperature and using 50% RAP.
Robovoid recycled plastic void formers In L shape retaining walls.	3/2/2026	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Victoria First	Victorian first use of ROBOVOID, a recycled plastic void former, providing an avenue for recycled plastics and reducing concrete and steel volume. The project was able to achieve a 6,750.99 kgCO2-e reduction in the 10 panels installed.
GFRP Bridge Deck (currently In design and scheduled to be Installed Imminently)	14/10/2025	‘First’ innovative technology, process or method – Victoria First	Victorian first use of a Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer bridge deck in the design for the Nell and Macorna St pedestrian bridges which span the freeway, shift the industry standard to reduce steel and concrete use in bridge structures. This will save the project: 929 t CO2-e 1076.2 m3 of concrete 441 t of steel

Acknowledgments – People

M80 Ring Road Alliance

VIDA

Acciona

Acknowledgments – Suppliers

Robovoid

Fleet HDF Alliance

Lee Group

RCPA

Vinidex

SafeRoads

Aurora Construction Materials (ACM)

Ekopipe

Downer

Testimonial

The M80 Ring Road Alliance is aiming to create a fundamental change in how infrastructure projects are delivered. Guided by the ISC principles of sustainable outcomes and long‑term community value, we are committed to transforming lives and strengthening communities. By empowering people to realise their potential, we’re not just building infrastructure—we’re creating lasting social, environmental and economic benefits for generations to come. - Ross Brookshaw, Sustainability Manager