A PROPOSED second river crossing to take freight trucks off residential streets and pressure off the traffic-choked West Gate Bridge appears doomed after slipping from the state government’s priority infrastructure vision.
In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia to mark 100 days as premier of Victoria earlier this month, Denis Napthine outlined the government’s key projects.
“We’re going to start with stage one of east-west link; we’re then going to move to metro rail tunnel, which is absolutely essential to expand our rail system,” he said. “And the Port of Hastings is similarly vital.”
His failure to mention the second stage of the east-west link road project fuels ongoing speculation the government isn’t committed to the river crossing, despite being under fire for ignoring expert advice to start the multibillion-dollar project at the western end.
A 2011 report by the Linking Melbourne Authority, released in December under freedom of information, stated its preferred option was to allocate funds for the Footscray-Port of Melbourne section of the project in last year’s budget, to provide a “crucial alternative Maribyrnong River crossing”.
Dr Napthine’s spokesman, Mark Lee, said the government was committed to delivering the “entire east-west link”. But while construction of the first stage will begin by the end of next year, Mr Lee could not say whether the second stage would follow, or be built after the metro rail tunnel and Port of Hastings expansion.
“With regard to specific stages of particular projects … this will depend on a variety of factors such as planning, design, funding,” he said. “So it would be too early to say which will come first.”
The comments have alarmed those seeking a second river crossing and a solution to the long-running issue of trucks using residential streets to access the Port of Melbourne.
Maribyrnong Truck Action Group president Samantha McArthur said the government held up the east-west link as a solution to the expected jump in port freight from 2.5 million containers to eight million by 2035, but refused to explain how.
“We are on at least our fourth follow-up email to [Roads] Minister Terry Mulder since he scrapped the truck action plan, with no response whatsoever,” she said.
“Even as a completed project, it still doesn’t give last-mile access to the port without tolls.”
