Woodland Street maintenance, Essendon

Update – May 2026

Our crews will soon be onsite to deliver essential work on a 375-metre stretch of Woodland Street in Essendon, between Carnarvon Road and Salmon Avenue.

The existing road surface, kerbs and gutters have been damaged by large roots from trees planted in the centre median, creating uneven conditions for road users.

The works involve a full rehabilitation of around 375 metres of the road surface and sub-surface layers on the eastbound and westbound lanes and replacing the kerbs and gutters.

To fix the road, and to make it safe, we need to remove 16 of 31 trees. All 16 trees will be replaced with a species of eucalyptus tree, which will retain the native tree character of the area while significantly reducing the risk of future damage.

This project is part of the 2025-26 road maintenance program.

When are the works happening?

Works will begin from the first week of June and run through to early July 2026.

The first stage of works will occur between 7.00am and 6.00pm weekdays and involve tree removal followed by concrete works to install new kerb and channel.

Road profiling and asphalt works will follow in the evenings (8pm – 6am) Sunday to Thursday, taking about two week to complete.

These dates are subject to favourable weather conditions and the contractor’s program of works.

What to expect during works

• Road and lane closures will be in place at different stages to enable work to occur safely.
• Detours will be in place when Woodland Street is closed. Please follow all traffic management.
• There will also be some impact to parking, and we will try to keep this to a minimum. A member of our team will contact impacted residents ahead of any parking or access changes.
• Residents and emergency service vehicles will be guided through the work zone as required.
• Medium to high level noise is expected during tree removal and when crews remove the surface layers of the road. Low to medium levels of noise are expected during other works.
• For the safety of road users and workers, reversing beepers are required on all machinery.
• A reduced speed limit will be in place through the work zone to ensure the safety of crews and all road users.

Caring for the environment

At the Department of Transport and Planning we take our environmental responsibilities seriously.

We explored multiple options to make the road safer before deciding that a rehabilitation was required. 

We commissioned an independent arboriculture consultant to undertake a detailed onsite investigation, looking specifically at each tree’s health and condition, life expectancy, retention value, and their relative level of intrusion and impact on the road and infrastructure.

There are currently 31 trees planted in the centre median along this stretch of Woodland Street.

Through the arborist investigations we have been able to identify 11 trees that we expect to be retained. Four trees will be assessed onsite during works to determine if they can be retained, while 16 trees have to be removed.

We also engaged an independent ecologist who confirmed that no Commonwealth-listed threatened ecological communities, flora or fauna species, or associated habitats were identified within the project area.

The trees that are being removed will be repurposed as habitat logs and mulch in local parks and gardens.

For more information about the works and tree removal, please view the Q&A's below or download the Q&A document (PDF).