MELBOURNE’S growing reliance on the West Gate Bridge means its
closure for just one year would cost the state $8 billion, according to a
report that has added to calls for a rethink of the East-West Link’s
rollout.
The West Gate Bridge “cost closure analysis”, by MacroPlan Dimasi,
found commuters and companies to the north and west of Melbourne
urgently needed an alternative gateway to the CBD.
With booming population growth in the western suburbs forecast to
continue into the next 20 years, the report said the West Gate “becomes
a major risk to the operations of the entire metropolitan area”.
Opposition treasury spokesman and Tarneit MP Tim Pallas said the
report was further proof the state government’s choice to prioritise the
eastern end of the proposed link was “not in the best interests of the
state”.
Despite expert advice, in May the government allocated funding for
the eastern end of the road link. It has yet to commit money to the
western section.
“We know the West Gate Bridge carries about 175,000 vehicles a
day, and by 2020 that number is anticipated to reach 22,000,” Mr Pallas
said. “The fact the government has denied the need for an urgent second
river crossing shows their priorities lie against the people of Geelong,
Ballarat and the western suburbs of Melbourne.”
Roads Minister Terry Mulder said once complete, the East-West Link would provide an alternative to the West Gate Bridge.
He said the government had pumped millions of dollars a year into bridge maintenance to prevent closures.
Mr Pallas said maintenance would do nothing to cater for growing
commuter and freight movement from the west, or ensure the state’s main
thoroughfare was not a “bottleneck to economic disaster”.
Lobby group Committee for Wyndham has also urged the government to
commit to the western end first. Chairman Peter Hudson said the group
was concerned that commuters from the western suburbs were being ignored
by the government.
“An alternative to the West Gate Bridge is urgently required as it
has been evidenced time and time again that the slightest of traffic
accidents causes major gridlock on the bridge.”
