THE state government seems determined to forge on with its plans to have Melbourne’s East West Link project up and running before this year’s state election.
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On Tuesday, Victorian Treasurer Michael O’Brien announced the government was preparing to enter into final negotiations to deliver the eastern section of the project.
The East West Link has become one of the most divisive issues facing the state parliament in the lead-up to the November poll.
The government seemingly does not want the election to become a referendum on the project in marginal metropolitan seats as public opinion polls have shown a minority of support.
Conversely, the state opposition is heaping pressure on the government to halt the project so that the public can have its say.
The politics of the matter, however, don’t overshadow the fact that Melbourne has significant transport problems.
From a western Victorian point of view, there is a desperate need for an alternative major highway route crossing the Yarra River.
Alternatives to the East-West project don’t provide the same sense of clarity of the impact on transport or road commuters from the west.
The investments in the Regional Rail Link project are positive but are yet to be fully convincing of being a fix-all for improving efficiency within the public transport system.
Plans for improving metropolitan rail links, while important, mean little for Ballarat residents.
On that basis, and even with a massive price tag of $8 billion, East-West provides the greatest amount of certainty to improve transport links from our perspective.
Whether the public deserves its own say before contracts are signed might end up being a matter for the courts.
There are significant challenges in this regard for the government, likely to impact before the signing process happens next month.
Whatever the outcome, it’s important to get these major infrastructure projects right. The impact on travel and business will be immense if it is not.
Given we see the impact of traffic gridlock and public transport failures almost on a daily basis, a failure to plan now for the future would be a recipe for disaster.