THE state government is under growing pressure to reveal why it ignored expert advice to begin building the proposed east-west road link in the west.
A report released under freedom of information reveals the Linking Melbourne Authority (LMA) pushed in 2011 for a new freeway link between West Footscray and the Port of Melbourne as a priority over linking the Eastern and Tullamarine freeways.
The government has neverthe- less pushed on with the $6 billion to $8 billion eastern link despite mounting pressure on infrastructure in the western suburbs. Monitoring has shown the West Gate Bridge is carrying more than 160,000 vehicles a day.
Greens MP Greg Barber moved a motion in Parliament last week opposing the project, arguing it would worsen traffic congestion, air pollution and pedestrian and cyclist safety levels.
He said the “misconceived” project would fail to deliver claimed benefits and the money would be better spent on public transport.
Opposition planning spokesman Brian Tee said projections of West Gate Bridge traffic reaching 235,000 vehicles a day by 2031 threatened the state’s economy.
“On the one hand [Roads Minister Terry Mulder] says we have to prioritise a second river crossing and we have to make sure that there is an alternative to the West Gate Bridge, but the government puts all its money and its policy position into a project that will not deliver a second river crossing,” he said.
The opposition is calling on the government to release a business case for the project.
