Table of Contents
By Al Turley
Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat! Bang! Bang! Crash! Crash! Thump! Thump! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! These are the sounds of progress, and they are right outside my bedroom window, all accompanied by a background of interminably rumbling machinery! They are the noises I wake to each morning. Sometimes the din starts at 6 a m; sometimes it goes through the night.
They are the noises of construction as the works continue on the North East Link connecting the Ring Road at Greensborough to the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen. But I don’t live near the junction of the new highway and the Eastern Freeway. I am nowhere near Bulleen. I live alongside the Eastern Freeway exit to Doncaster Road.
As part of the North East project the Eastern Freeway is being widened. And somebody decided to put the construction site office – an ugly black structure - right next door to me, about 20 metres from my bedroom.
Before this project began I had a pleasant green view, and if I wished, could wander down the Koonung Trail to enjoy the sights and sounds of the meandering creek. Now the trees have all been chopped down, the Koonung Trail closed off, and I live with the ugliness of the construction vehicles and a constant rumbling which shakes my building and threatens to destroy its foundations.
One morning about six, a thunderous sound rattled my bedroom window and shifted my bed sideways. It felt like I was in a war zone! Another day I woke reluctantly to the noise of what I thought was a drilling machine whose sound was pitched to the same note as a truck’s horn. The noise went on for about an hour before I finally decided to peer out my bedroom window.
What a surprise! It was a truck horn after all, in fact many truck horns. I guessed that the truckies who were carrying earth to or from the site were dissatisfied with their working conditions and had decided to stage a noisy protest – right outside my bedroom.
I have no doubt that when complete, these works will be beneficial to road users. And they will also benefit bus passengers because as part of the project, new lanes are being built along the Eastern Freeway exclusively for the use of public transport.
People from Victoria’s Big Build have been meticulous in dropping cards into our letter boxes, keeping us informed about the project: “Your electricity will be cut off from 7 am to 3 pm tomorrow”. “Certain works will be completed by mid-2025”. “The new Park and Ride facility with its 3-storey Parking Building will not be completed until 2028”, etc. etc.
What they have omitted from their information is something I picked up on Wikipedia: Users of the new link will be required to pay a toll.
I should definitely be exempt from this toll! I have already paid an excessively heavy price!
Footnote: After many months of enduring construction noises and the almost constant vibration of his unit, Al is concerned about his mental health. He is now seeking accommodation elsewhere.
