The Eastern Freeway (Mitcham-Frankston Freeway) is to be extended a distance of 5 kilometres from its current terminal at Springvale Road to Ringwood Street. Twin tunnels, approximately 1.5 km-long, will be built under a design, construction, operation and maintenance contract. The portals at the Mitcham end will be located approximately 350 m east of Park Road and approximately 350 m west of Deep Creek Road at the Ringwood end. The alignment passes beneath houses in the Lisbeth Avenue, under bushland and the Mullum Mullum Creek and under houses and bushland in the Craig Road and Claim Court area. Each tube will include three lanes in each direction with an additional fourth auxiliary safety lane over part of its length as part of the interchange with the Ringwood Bypass.The three shortlisted candidates for the tunnel contract, budgeted at A$326 million, are Baulderstone Hornibrook and Bilfinger Berger; Leighton Contractors and Eroc; and the Eastern Freeway Tunnel Consortium including McConnell Dowell Constructors and Clough Engineering. The submitted bids exceeded A$400 million. Each candidate participated in an extended and confidential process to identify possible cost savings. However, the Victorian government could combine the Eastern Freeway extension and Scoresby Freeway into a single A$1.8 billion project and call for new tenders in a bid to cut costs. The project will be delayed by two years for opening in 2007. Funding by the state government under the Better Roads Victoria Programme. Visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au. E-mail Eastern_Fwy_Project@roads.vic.gov.au 40/02.Invitation for Expressions of Interest, deadline 11th June, 2003 for the design, construction, finance, lease, maintenance and operation of the A$1.8 billion Mitcham-Frankston Freeway. The project includes 40 km of road connecting Melbourne's eastern and south eastern suburbs. It will comprise twin 1.5 km tunnels to protect the Mullum Mullum Creek and the high quality Chaim Court and Hillcrest bushlands. E-mail mff.eoi@doi.vic.gov.au. Visit www.tenders.vic.gov.au/domino/web_notes/etenders/etdrpublishing.nsf?Open and click here 19/03.A joint venture between Thiess and John Holland was selected by the Victorian government, as part of the ConnectEast consortium, to design and construct the Mitcham-Frankston motorway. The contact amounts to AUD2.5 billion. The project will involve the construction of a 39 km roadway of predominantly three-lane capacity, 17 interchanges, over 78 bridges and a 2 x 1.5 km twin lane tunnel under Mullum Mullum Creek. The contractors will also construct the 6 km Ringwood and Dandenong southern bypasses. Completion is planned by the end of 2008. Project financier is Macquarie Bank. Designers are Hyder, Connell Wagner and Parsons Brinckerhoff. Visit www.thiess.com.au and www.johnholland.com.au 43/04.