GRIDLOCK sparked by a computer glitch that closed two CBD tunnels has added to calls for a new road link to ease reliance on the West Gate corridor.
The Princes Freeway ground to a halt last Wednesday, with congestion choking all roads within 20 kilometres of the CBD after electronic CityLink signs stopped working at 5am.
The state government said the mayhem showed the need for a second river crossing in Melbourne, spruiking its plans to build an 18-kilometre east-west link connecting the Eastern Freeway, CityLink and Western Ring Road.
The opposition supports a second river crossing to ease pressure on the West Gate Bridge but does not support linking the eastern suburbs with the Tullamarine Freeway.
RACV policy manager Brian Negus said last week’s incident revealed Melbourne’s complete reliance on the M1 corridor and showed the critical need for an east-west link. He called on the federal government to match a $1.5 billion east-west link commitment made by federal opposition leader Tony Abbott.
The state government has committed $15 million towards developing a business case, but the federal government said the project was not a funding priority.
State opposition infrastructure spokesman Tim Pallas said the east-west link would cost as much as $12 billion.
“That sort of expenditure would suck the life out of any other potential expenditure,” he said.
Mr Pallas said the government’s submission to Infrastructure Australia indicated a full east-west connection would be built in stages.
“From this it is clear that the most important project, the second river crossing, could be a decade away.”
Before Labor lost the November 2010 election it released a plan for a $5 billion westlink freeway, which included a four-kilometre tunnel under Footscray. It would have run from near the port of Melbourne, through West Melbourne and emerged in an industrial part of West Footscray before running through West Sunshine and onto the Western Ring Road.
Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury called for bipartisan support for the east-west link project.
“As we are all too aware, any disruption of the traffic flow on the West Gate can have serious repercussions for traffic [and] the closure of the tunnels once again highlights a major weakness in our road network, which can be resolved by the east-west link,” he said.
Point Cook motorist Liz Mumby, who uses the bridge in the morning peak about twice a week, said a second river crossing was crucial
“There’s got to be something done about it. I know there’s a bit of an uproar from people who live in the inner city who don’t want the tunnel that goes with it, but it’s either that or we stop population growth in the west,” she said.
