Australian Government Greenlights $1.5 Billion for Vic East-West Link

Australian Government Greenlights $1.5 Billion for Vic East-West Link
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott speaks as he visits Backwell IXL on April 30 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Prime Minister Abbott announced the Federal Government will provide an additional $1.5 billion to fund Victoria's East-West link road project, set to begin construction in late 2014. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
4/30/2014
Updated:
4/30/2014

MELBOURNE - The Australian Government gave the go-ahead for a further $1.5 billion in funding for Victoria’s East-West Tollway link on Tuesday, April 29.

The major road project is designed to eliminate the “choke-point” where the Eastern freeway becomes Alexandra Parade, just north of the CBD.

The Government had already committed $1.5 billion in funding for the $8 billion first stage and the additional $1.5 billion will kick start the $10 billion second stage.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the East West Link was a vital project to alleviate traffic congestion and would provide a permanent boost to the Victorian economy.

The link is expected to save 15 to 20 minutes for motorists travelling from Geelong to Melbourne and will reduce traffic on the Westgate Bridge and the Monash Freeway. It will also take trucks off the roads in the western suburbs of Yarraville, Seddon and Footscray.

“If we want to liberate people from the tyranny of hours and hours spent in traffic jams, this is exactly what this city, this state needs,” Mr Abbott said, according to AAP.

Mr Abbott says fast-tracking the $10 billion second stage will prevent creating a bottleneck elsewhere.

“If we’re going to be do the first half, let’s get on with things and build the second half so that we aren’t reducing the missing link, we’re eliminating the missing link.”

The Victorian Government on April 28 began processing bids for the construction of the $6-$8 billion eastern section, which is due to begin later this year. Three consortia shortlisted to bid on the project last October include many large Australian and overseas engineering, banking and construction companies.

Victorian Premier Dennis Napthine said work on the two stages will take place simultaneously with construction of the $8 to 10 billion second stage, which is getting underway towards the end of next year.

Land will need to be acquired along the route of the second stage of the 18 km tollway, but Dr Napthine said a large part of that land will be in light industrial areas. “We'll certainly be looking to minimise private property acquisition,” he said on April 30.

Additionally, the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry praised the projected number of jobs to be created – 3200 in the first phase and 3000 in the second.

However Labor and the Greens remain opposed to the project.

Labor has repeatedly called for the Government to release the project’s full business case, saying it is based on “junk” numbers. Victorian Opposition leader Daniel Andrews said Mr Napthine was in panic mode to show he has a plan before the November election.

Greens deputy leader and Melbourne MP Adam Bandt said building more roads to cure congestion “is like loosening your belt to cure obesity”, in a report in the Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay Weekly on April 30.

Industry groups including the Australian Logistics Council in a media statement on April 29 said they support the project, which they say will improve efficiency for businesses and commuters.

“ALC looks forward to continuing to engage with the Victorian Government to ensure the final design of the link will maximise freight efficiency, including efficient links to the Port of Melbourne,” said Michael Kilgariff, ALC Managing Director.

However, protesting residents are fearful of air and noise pollution, and are worried by conflicting “expert” information and a lack of transparency on government plans for the project.

A resident of inner-city Melbourne has mounted a Supreme Court action in a bid to have the full plan revealed.

According to the Yarra Campaign for Action on Transport (YCAT) group, some contentious features of the current design include a 20-metre-high flyover at Hoddle Street, two proposed interchanges in the middle of Royal Park, an extensive loss of sporting grounds and a proposed route for the viaduct that will bring traffic within metres of apartments in Flemington.

Shadow Treasurer and former Roads Minister Tim Pallas last July predicted the project could “strangle the life out of Victorian budgets for decades to come”, leaving little funding for other urgent projects like upgrading public transport and other public amenities that may more fully enhance the quality of life for Victorians.

Andrew Herrington in a Crikey blog post said opinion polls have found most Victorians favour public transport over more road spending and that current assessment committee project hearings have received 1430 objections.