Major construction is now underway on Stage 2 of the Yan Yean Road Upgrade in Melbourne’s outer north-east, advancing a key arterial project serving one of the city’s fastest-growing corridors.
The project will add an extra lane in each direction between Kurrak Road and Bridge Inn Road, upgrade multiple intersections and deliver new walking and cycling infrastructure.
More than 24,000 motorists use Yan Yean Road each day, and the corridor serves expanding residential and commercial areas around Yarrambat, Doreen and Plenty.
From planning into active delivery
The first two intersection upgrades are targeted for completion in early 2027.
At Bridge Inn Road and Doctors Gully Road, the existing roundabout will be replaced by a signalised intersection with additional turning lanes and pedestrian crossings.
Traffic lights will also be installed at Activity Way, while other elements of Stage 2 include duplication along the broader corridor, new shared paths, safety barriers and intersection upgrades.
The work sits within the $3.14 billion Suburban Roads Upgrades program jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian governments, with the Commonwealth contributing $1.58 billion and Victoria $1.57 billion.
Contractors move into the heavy construction phase
The northern package of Stage 2 is being delivered by Australian contractor Decmil between Bridge Inn Road and Orchard Road. Major construction on the wider program now puts the corridor into a more intensive civil-delivery phase.
That creates ongoing demand across earthworks, pavements, drainage, utilities, traffic management, signals, safety barriers and active-transport infrastructure.
For local businesses, the upgrade is also intended to improve access around the Doreen business precinct, with upgraded bus stops, community spaces and walking and cycling connections included in the design.
Growth-corridor infrastructure remains a major pipeline
Yan Yean Road is part of a broader package of transport investment across Melbourne’s outer north and north-east, where population growth has outpaced the capacity of several arterial roads.
Other projects in the surrounding pipeline include Donnybrook Road upgrades, Mickleham Road Stage 2, the Watson Street Interchange and Northern Highway works at Wallan, and the Camerons Lane Interchange Project.
The significance for the civil sector is the concentration of work across multiple corridors rather than a single standalone upgrade. Large suburban growth programs can sustain contractor and supplier demand over several years as individual packages move from planning into construction.
For Yan Yean Road, the focus now shifts to maintaining access through live construction zones while delivering duplication and intersection works in an already busy growth corridor.
Sources: Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, 23 September 2026; Victorian road project page.
Featured image: Troy Mortier / Unsplash.
