East West Link (Melbourne)

East West Link
Victoria
General information
Type Freeway  (Proposed)
Length 18 km (11 mi)
Major junctions
East end
  CityLink (M2/State Route 43)
West end
Location(s)
Major suburbs / towns Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Fitzroy North, Carlton, Parkville, Flemington, Kensington, Footscray, Tottenham, Derrimut, Sunshine West
Highway system
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The East West Link is a proposed 18-kilometre tollway in Melbourne, Australia, to connect the Eastern Freeway at Clifton Hill with the Western Ring Road at Sunshine West. The Napthine Coalition Government signed a $5.3 billion contract with the East West Connect consortium in September 2014, just prior to the November 2014 state election, to begin construction on the eastern tunnel segment of the project.[1] It became one of the central issues in the election, and a subsequent change in government led to the project's cancellation at a cost of over $1.2 billion.[2] The problem of poor "connectivity between Melbourne's Eastern Freeway and CityLink" has since been included in Infrastructure Australia's list of Australia's 32 "highest priority" infrastructure needs and various solutions remain part of long-term state road planning.[3][4]

The project's $6 billion first stage was planned as a 4.4 km tunnel from Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill to CityLink at Parkville, due for completion by early 2020.[5] Work on the second stage, the western section between Parkville and the Western Ring Road, was expected to commence in late 2015 and be completed by 2023.[6] The project's total cost was estimated at $15 billion to $17 billion.[7]

The road project was proposed in 1999 by then Premier Jeff Kennett, but gained prominence when it became one of the chief recommendations of the 2008 East-West Link Needs Assessment report, which warned that steady growth in port freight and population growth was rapidly taking Melbourne roads to capacity. The report's author, Sir Rod Eddington, said an alternative river crossing was also imperative to lessen the city's dependence on the West Gate Bridge, while an additional east-west link was needed to the city's north because of capacity constraints on the congested Monash-CityLink-West Gate corridor. Eddington said the benefits for the city included relieving congestion on Hoddle Street, reducing east-west rat running through suburban streets, assisting north-south traffic flows including public transport, and improving accessibility to city jobs for western suburbs residents.[8][9]

The proposed freeway standard road was to start at the Western Ring Road at Laverton North, connect with Market Road, Brooklyn, then descend into two separate three-lane tunnels at Kingsville, to link with the Eastern Freeway. On-ramps and off-ramps were expected to be provided near Dynon Road, Footscray for port access, and at its junction with CityLink and the Eastern Freeway.[8][10][11]

The project attracted public criticism over its effectiveness to reduce congestion, prioritisation ahead of public transport, transparency of business case and local effect on Royal Park and Melbourne Zoo. Local councils and public transport advocates opposed the project and several community groups were formed to block its construction.[12] Then Opposition Leader and now Premier Daniel Andrews campaigned against the project in the 2014 state election, promising to abandon the project if Labor won government. The Labor government says the project's western section may still be built, though not in the government's first term.[13] The government initially proposed its West Gate Distributor as a lower-cost port link for heavy freight vehicles, but in early 2015 unveiled plans by infrastructure company Transurban to build the multibillion-dollar Western Distributor as a more expansive route, providing a second major river crossing in the city's inner west. The Coalition both in Federal Government and in state Opposition remain committed to building the East West Link.[14]

History

Traffic approaches the city end of the Eastern Freeway, Melbourne, where the East West Link would have begun. Vehicles queue to turn into Hoddle Street (left lanes) or continue west to Alexandra Parade (right lanes).

The completion of CityLink in 2000, which joined the Monash Freeway to the West Gate Freeway and the Tullamarine Freeway, provided an effective southern and western bypass of Melbourne's inner city. The Eastern Freeway, however, has remained the last of Melbourne's unconnected freeways leading towards the city. It carries about 140,000 vehicles a day, which are deposited to or drawn from Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade, and numerous city and inner urban streets beyond.[15]

Under the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan, the Eastern Freeway had been intended to link with the then-new Tullamarine Freeway (around the Citylink-Dynon Road entry/exit ramps), as well as taking traffic off the Maroondah Highway, but repetitive protests from inner Melbourne suburbs residents, during the early 1970s, meant the road would terminate at Hoddle Street. With the resignation of long serving Liberal Premier Henry Bolte in 1972, newly installed Premier Rupert Hamer announced in 1973 that some freeway plans were to be pruned, especially those proposed for the inner city.[16] In 1976, the Hamer Government announced the cancellation of all of the road reservations for the unbuilt urban freeways, meaning an above ground road connection would be essentially impossible to construct.[17]

An east-west tunnel linking the Eastern and Tullamarine freeways was proposed by Premier Jeff Kennett in 1999[18][19] and was also discussed—but not recommended—in the 2003 Northern Central City Corridor Study prepared by the state Department of Infrastructure.[20][21][22] The concept was backed in 2005 in infrastructure plans prepared by the Committee for Melbourne,[23] Melbourne City Council[24] and Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry.[25]

The project became one of the key recommendations of the 2008 East-West Link Needs Assessment report by Sir Rod Eddington. Eddington identified two possible routes to link the Eastern Freeway with Melbourne's western suburbs, both of which formed an alternative to the West Gate Bridge and provided connections to the port and CityLink. He identified a single alignment from the Eastern Freeway to the port area—under Alexandra Parade, Princes Street and Royal Park—and two possible routes from the port to the western suburbs:

Both options would include a major interchange in the port precinct.

Eddington's report noted that although the sequencing of the full connection was a decision for government, he believed the most urgent need was the section from the inner west to the port, providing an alternative to the West Gate Bridge—"a tunnel under, or a bridge over, the Maribyrnong River, connecting to a northern bypass of the city."[26] He concluded: "The evidence is clear: doing nothing is not an option. Melbourne needs better east-west transport connections to address core congestion problems within the transport network, to meet rapidly increasing travel demand, to support a growing population and to keep pace with the changes taking place in the city's economic and urban structure."[9]

Releasing the report, Premier John Brumby said he was neither "ruling anything in nor ruling anything out" among Eddington's 20 key proposals.[27] In December 2008 the Brumby Labor government released its Victorian Transport Plan, which included a commitment to start work on the western end of Eddington's overall proposal: building an alternative to the West Gate Bridge—"a new tunnel from Geelong Rd/Sunshine Rd to Dynon Rd/Footscray Rd in the Port of Melbourne precinct." The tunnel, which became known as Westlink, was costed at $2.5 billion[28] and Brumby described it as the transport plan's top priority,[29] with construction due to start about 2013. He said plans for the 18 km tunnel had been dumped, and that improved public transport to Doncaster would achieve better results for eastern suburban commuters.[30] In July 2010 the Victorian Government established the Linking Melbourne Authority,[31] which investigated a series of route options for the Westlink tunnel project before releasing a preferred route in October 2010. A month later, the Brumby government was defeated and replaced by the Ted Baillieu-led coalition government; in January 2011 new Transport Minister Terry Mulder announced the Labor government Transport Plan had been shelved, with all its recommendations to undergo re-evaluation.[32]

In May 2012 the Baillieu government was reported to be "red hot" about making a start on the project, which would rival CityLink and the railway City Loop in its scope;[8] on 7 May 2013 new Premier Denis Napthine announced the Government was committing to fund stage one of the project. In a media release Napthine said the project would "reduce chronic congestion issues and transform east west travel across Melbourne".[33]

The Government pledged to have the design finalised and construction contracts signed by September 2014 to ensure construction was under way in October, before the state election on 29 November. A shortlist of companies tendering for the work was released in late September 2013. It comprised:[34]

The companies submitted their bids for the work in April 2014, three months before the conclusion of a community consultation process.[35][36] In June 2014 Momentum abandoned its bid, claiming the geotechnical risks associated with building the tunnel were "not acceptable", leaving just East West Connect and Inner Link in the bidding race,[37][38] and in September East West Connect was named as the sole preferred bidder.[39]

Geotechnical drilling of the route began in May 2012; from late September 2013 the drilling began to be disrupted by protesters.[40] Pickets continued in 2014, the protesters each day targeting one of the 16 drilling sites.[41] According to the State Government policing costs as result of the protests amounted to $1.6 million by late January 2014.[42]

In April 2014 the project was challenged in the Supreme Court of Victoria, with the claim that the government had made "misleading representations" about the project's benefits.[43][44] The court dismissed the challenge on 10 September 2014.[45]

Planning Minister Matthew Guy announced on June 30 he had approved the project with some modifications, deleting the Elliott Avenue interchange and instead including access to Flemington Road. The change would spare much of Royal Park grounds.[46] A month later Yarra Council voted to join with Moreland Council and issue a legal challenge to the Planning Minister's decision, arguing that the approval was invalid and "infected by jurisdictional error" because the planning process had been flawed.[47] In August the Supreme Court of Victoria set 15 December 2014—two months after the date when construction contracts are expected to be signed—as the starting date for that trial; Moonee Valley Council joined the action in November.[48] By August a third legal challenge to the East West Link was also under way, with Labor's shadow road minister Luke Donnellan pursuing the Government in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to force the release of the project business case.[49]

In September 2014 state Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said that if Labor won power in the November election it would support the Supreme Court action by Yarra and Moreland councils rather than defend the project, thus making the councils' legal challenge likely to succeed and effectively terminating the project. Andrews said Labor had gained legal advice that if the court declared invalid the Planning Minister's decision to approve the project, "any contracts entered into will be beyond power and unenforceable".[50] On 29 September 2014 the government signed a $5.3 billion contract with the East West Connect consortium to build the road.[51]

A week before the November election Andrews said an "East West Link-type connection" could still be built under a Labor government if it was recommended by Infrastructure Victoria, an independent advisory board Labor planned to set up if it won government.[52] The day after Labor's win in the state election, Andrews confirmed that the East West Link would be abandoned[53] in favour of its $300 million alternative, the West Gate Distributor, but the government has left open the option of proceeding with the western section of the original road plan.[13] On 12 December Andrews ordered the East West Connect consortium to stop work on the project immediately,[54] prompting Infrastructure Australia to abandon an assessment of the full business case for the first stage of the project.[55]

In January 2015 the Victorian Government announced it was negotiating with East West Connect on the cost of dissolving the contracts.[56] Speculation rose that the costs of terminating the contracts could pass $1.1 billion, but the Andrews government denied the claim and threatened to pass legislation to overturn compensation provisions in the contract if a compromise could not be reached.[57] Prime Minister Tony Abbott criticised the Andrews government's stance, telling the National Press Club: "Surely, it is the very midsummer of madness to pay $1.2 billion not to build a road ... I can't think of anything more crazy than spending $1.2 billion not to build a road, given that the Victorian government's contribution, after the federal government's contribution, after road users' contribution, after the private investors’ contribution, was probably only going to be $1.5 billion in the first place."[58]

A group of federal Liberal MPs from Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs announced in January 2015 it would launch a public campaign, with billboards, advertising and social media, to lobby for the road's construction[59] and in April two federal MPs from Geelong, Sarah Henderson and Andrew Katos, launched a "Just Build It" campaign and petition, claiming that stage two of the project should be fast-tracked for the sake of jobs and the Geelong economy. Katos said the "shovel-ready" East West Link would remove 50,000 vehicles a day from the West Gate Bridge compared with 5000 if the West Gate Distributor was eventually built.[60]

On 15 April 2015 the government announced the road project would not proceed and said it had reached agreement with East West Connect to pay the consortium $339 million to cover costs it had incurred to that point. Andrews said the government had acquired the consortium for $1. The decision was condemned by Abbott as "reckless" and said Victorians would suffer as a result. Abbott said: "The East West Link is the only answer. Tens of millions of dollars and years of planning have already been invested to get the project shovel-ready. $3 billion from the Commonwealth government remains on the table for any Victorian government which wants to build the East West Link."[2]

Despite the cancellation of the project there remains some support for it, either in whole or part, chiefly from the Liberal Party at state and federal level. In October 2015 federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the federal government remained committed to the project,[61] but later that month the Victorian government was told it could use the East-West Link money for other projects.[62]

A freeway connection between CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, anticipated to be built by 2046, was included in a blueprint for future metropolitan infrastructure that was contained in the 2016 business case for the Western Distributor project. The report was commissioned by Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance and prepared by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers using information on the future transport network provided by the Department of Economic Development, Transport, Jobs and Resources.[4] The route was also identified by Infrastructure Australia in a 2016 report as one of Australia's 32 "highest priority" infrastructure needs because of rising east-west traffic congestion problems.[63][64]

The Victorian Liberal opposition has pledged to restart the project if it regains power in the 2018 state election[65] and in April 2017 the Lonsdale Consortium, the private operator of the Port of Melbourne, said the western end of the East West Link would be needed "in the short to medium term" to overcome road congestion.[66]

Needs and benefits

In his East West Link Needs Assessment report, Eddington said the study team had identified a long-term, strategic need for a new transport route linking Melbourne's east and west. The factors included:

The West Gate Bridge, Melbourne, which was built to handle 40,000 vehicles a day and is now used by 165,000 a day.
Traffic congestion on the Monash Freeway, Melbourne.

He said the East West Link would provide a range of benefits:

A 2014 report by the Victorian Auditor-General on traffic management noted that two Alexandra Parade intersections, which would benefit from traffic diversion through an east-west tunnel, were among Melbourne's most congested intersections in the morning and evening peaks. They were Alexandra Parade/Queens Parade/Brunswick St, Fitzroy North (sixth most congested intersection in AM peak) and Alexandra Parade/Nicholson St/Princes St, Carlton North (10th most congested intersection in PM peak).[71]

Predicted usage

The Eastern Freeway carries 140,000 vehicles a day[15] and the Victorian Government estimated the first stage of the new road would be used by 80,000 vehicles a day, travelling in both directions. It said its forecast was more optimistic than that produced by the EWLNA study team.[72] The EWLNA report suggested the project, when complete, would carry more than 150,000 vehicles a day. Eddington's 2008 report dismissed as a "myth" and "misconception" the belief that nearly all Eastern Freeway traffic is destined for the inner city. It said analysis of distribution of Eastern Freeway traffic showed that "around 40 per cent of the daily traffic from the freeway travels beyond the central city area—to the south and the west". The Eddington report also highlighted the "very substantial" and growing west-to-east travel demand, resulting from the imbalance between population growth and employment opportunities in the city's western suburbs.[73]

Funding

The Victorian Government estimated the capital cost of stage one of the project would be between $6 billion and $8 billion[74] and the second stage up to $10 billion.[75] The project would be funded as a public-private partnership, with money from the Commonwealth and state governments and the private sector. Toll revenue was expected to partly offset the costs of the project over the long term. A total of $224 million was allocated in the 2013–14 state budget for procurement for the first stage, with a further $70 million to follow in 2014–15.[76] The Abbott Federal Government pledged $1.5 billion towards stage one during the 2013 federal election campaign and in April 2014 agreed to contribute another $1.5 billion—conditional on the Victorian government providing a business case—to allow an earlier start on stage two.[75] Preliminary work on stage two was to have begun in late 2015.[77] Some $500 million of the federal contribution to stage two of East West Link was diverted from commonwealth funds previously allocated to upgrade the Western Ring Road.[78]

In February 2015 the federal Auditor-General, Ian McPhee announced he would investigate the Abbott government's decision to commit $3 billion for East West Link construction without a rigorous cost-benefit analysis.[79]

Criticism

Rally against the East-West Link in Brunswick, supported by Moreland City Council, March 2014.[80]

The East West Link project attracted criticism from the local councils of Melbourne,[81] Moreland, Yarra[82] and Boroondara, the Public Transport Users Association, Geelong politicians and others, with complaints that it was a misuse of public funds, would fail to alleviate Hoddle Street congestion and would lead to permanent loss of parts of Royal Park.[83] Critics claimed the need for the project was not supported by traffic statistics and that the State Government should instead have used funds for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project. The decision to start work first on the eastern end of the project was also criticised, with claims that the project's greatest need was to provide an alternative river crossing to the West Gate Bridge. Yarra City Council launched a "Trains Not Toll Roads" campaign in June 2013, to which it committed $200,000 from its 2013/14 Budget. It also spent $405,000 on legal representation at the Government's 30-day East West assessment committee hearings. A meeting to launch the campaign attracted 400 people and the council said it would look at all options, including legal challenges, to stop the tunnel. An online petition against the link attracted more than 1300 names.[84][85]

Increased congestion

Yarra Council claimed the tunnel would exacerbate congestion on Hoddle Street, Flemington Road and surrounding streets. Mayor Jackie Fristacky said more than 80 percent of all inbound vehicles on the Eastern Freeway would still seek to exit at Hoddle Street and other inner roads to reach their inner-city destinations. "The East West Link will not help them. It will actually make congestion on Hoddle Street worse because it will get more cars on that road faster. It will ultimately cause major social, health and environmental damage," she said.[86][87] A Victorian Department of Transport briefing prepared for Mulder said only a small proportion of vehicles now using Hoddle Street were likely to use the tunnel as an alternative if there were no off-ramps to the city,[88] while a report for the government by consulting firm Veitch Lister in July 2013 found that while traffic on parts of Hoddle Street closer to the city would drop by up to 9 percent, the project could cause congestion on Hoddle Street closer to the Eastern Freeway to rise by up to 35 percent by 2021.[89] Melbourne Airport chief executive Chris Woodruff warned that congestion between the city and airport could worsen once the East West Link was built unless the Tullamarine Freeway was widened.[90] In its submission to the state government panel on the project, the City of Boroondara also raised concerns that traffic on some streets, including Princess and Asquith Streets and Burke Road, could rise by up to 30 percent.[91]

Spending priorities

The decision to build the first stage of the East West Link was criticised as a misuse of public funds that should have been spent on public transport. Fristacky said the project would deprive Melbourne of billions of dollars that were needed for the construction of the Melbourne airport railway, Doncaster railway line, Rowville line, Melbourne Metro and the Mernda rail extension.[86] Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the project would not solve Melbourne traffic problems and that the 2013 state Budget should have focused on badly needed rail upgrades.[92]

Polls conducted for The Age found Victorians favoured construction of the Metro rail project before the East West Link. A May 2013 poll (which did not reveal the poll sample, sampling method, questions or date of the survey) found 47 percent of voters supported the rail plan, while 43 percent supported the road project.[93] A similar poll of 1000 voters in February 2014 found the Metro rail project was viewed as the infrastructure project with the highest priority (42 percent), followed by removing level crossings (27 percent) and the East West Link (24 percent).[94] A November 2013 Age/Neilsen poll of 1000 voters found that 74 percent believed improving public transport was a bigger priority than building the East West Link tunnel. Some 23 percent considered the tunnel a higher priority.[95] A Herald Sun/Seven News poll of more than 2500 Victorians in November 2014 found the East West Link was considered a higher priority than removing level crossings, an airport rail link and second underground rail loop. The Herald Sun provided no details on the poll's sampling method, questions or actual results.[96] A further Age poll of 1000 respondents in November 2014 reported 59 percent in favour of the project and 29 percent opposed.[97]

Infrastructure Australia prioritised the Melbourne Metro Rail Project tunnel ahead of East West Link.[98]

Transparency of business case

The Napthine Government was criticised for its decision to withhold details of the business case for the project, including projected traffic levels.[99] State Treasurer Michael O'Brien said the public release of details would jeopardise competitive advantage as it sought bidders for its construction,[100] but federal advisory body Infrastructure Australia subsequently sought more information, claiming it had not been provided with the information to assess whether the link deserved federal funding.[101] Chris Hale, lecturer in transport engineering at Melbourne University, said the government was not interested in Infrastructure Australia analysing benefit-cost ratios and that the project was an example of a lack of transparency over the approval and planning of major projects[102] and Victorian Greens MP Greg Barber said the government was terrified that releasing the figures would show the road was not viable. "The figures will show this toll road is a dud," he said. "It will be a bigger lemon than the desalination plant."[103] The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia expressed a reluctance to invest in the project unless it could be proven to be profitable,[104] though several major superannuation funds said they would have a "strong appetite" for the project if investor risk was minimised by direct payments by government.[105] A senate committee investigation in February 2014 found that the state government's estimate, previously withheld from the public, showed a benefit-cost ratio of 80 cents per dollar invested if the estimated effects of economies of agglomeration were not taken into account, per the methodology used by Infrastructure Australia. The federal statutory authority recommends only those projects with a benefit-cost ratio of at least 1.5.[106]

A study of international transport "mega-projects" led by Professor Harry Dimitriou of University College London concluded that tolls on the East West Link would have to be a minimum of $10.50 to produce a profit for investors, and the government would come under pressure to toll the Eastern Freeway.[107] Two contributors to the study, Sophie Sturup and Nicholas Low, suggested the large profits flowing to private consultants during the planning phase created a moral hazard—"because those who will make money from the road are not those who will invest in it or use it. Knowing that their employer and cash cow has committed itself to the construction, there is a strong incentive for consultants to invent reasons for the project from which they can walk away when the financial architecture they have created collapses like a house of cards."[108] Kenneth Davidson, a columnist for The Age and outspoken critic of the project, claimed the government's business case did not justify the road and that "the financial burden on the Victorian taxpayer will be so big that it will 'crowd out' the state's core responsibilities for funding schools, hospitals, rail transport and even other roads for at least a generation."[7]

An analysis of the project by a team of transport planners and financial analysts from three Melbourne universities concluded that its full cost could have reached $17.8 billion by 2045. The team, including five professors, used publicly available information to estimate that annual "availability" payments to the construction consortium could have risen from $360 million to almost $720 million, while interest on state government borrowings could have reached $77 million a year. The state government's capital contribution would have been $2 billion.[109] The state Treasurer, Michael O'Brien, described the analysis as "absolute garbage" and said it was the work of "a bunch of left-wing academics with a clear anti-roads agenda".[110]

Staging

Then Opposition leader Daniel Andrews, some Geelong politicians as well as the G21 Geelong regional alliance and the Metropolitan Transport Forum, which represents 23 councils covering three million residents, criticised the Government's decision to begin work on the eastern end of the project. Andrews said the Government had ignored congestion problems in Melbourne's western suburbs and threatened Victoria's economic growth with commuters and freight carriers losing time in traffic.[111] He said Victorian Labor "could not support the tunnel" and said Labor would release a detailed transport alternative before the end of 2013.[112] Labor Party federal member for Corio Richard Marles said the greatest need was for an alternative to CityLink as an entry to Melbourne[113] and state Labor MP for Bellarine Lisa Neville said the decision to start from the east was disastrous for the Geelong region.[114] The Metropolitan Transport Forum said it had written to Transport Minister Terry Mulder urging the Government to reconsider its priorities and start the project at is western end make an earlier start on the Melbourne Metro Rail Project tunnel because it would take more trucks off suburban streets, improve public transport and support the growth of the Port of Melbourne.[115]

Demographer Bernard Salt criticised the decision to focus on the eastern end of the project and said Melbourne's most pressing traffic issue was the second river crossing into the city from the west. He said West Gate Freeway traffic was growing by 2.1 percent a year, compared with 1.8 percent on the Eastern Freeway. Salt said Melbourne was rebalancing to the west, with Wyndham and Melton "the fastest-growing development front anywhere in Australia at the moment, maybe 20,000 people a year".[116] Anton Mayer, chief executive of LeadWest, an organisation that promotes economic development in the western suburbs, said the government's decision meant western suburbs residents and road users would be stuck with just one freeway into the city—the West Gate Freeway—for most of the next decade. He said residents in Footscray and Yarraville would have to endure heavy truck traffic on local roads for years until the western section of East West Link was built.[117] G21 chairman Ed Coppe commended the decision to commit to the project, but said congestion on the West Gate Bridge and in the western suburbs had become a major and growing hindrance to commuter and business traffic between Geelong and Melbourne. He said G21 would maintain pressure on the government to urgently progress the western end of the link.[114]

Other issues

Criticism over the project also included the effects on Melbourne Zoo, Royal Park and Koonung Creek Reserve,[81][91][118][119][120] prospect of high tolls,[107] the lack of emergency lanes,[121] concerns that consequent Eastern Freeway widening would take up land in the freeway median earmarked for the Doncaster railway line,[87][91] the loss of homes and property values because of construction[122][123] and concerns that it would cast a shadow on the community gardens and create noise pollution for residents in Flemington public housing.[124]

Release of business case

Cabinet documents and the previously secret business case and construction contract details were released by the incoming state government in December 2014, revealing for the first time the costing rationale for the project. An initial assessment in March 2013 had found the road would return 45 cents in benefits for every dollar spent. When "wider economic benefits" were factored in, the return rose to 84 cents for every dollar spent. Cabinet documents showed the Napthine government opted not to submit the business case to Infrastructure Australia, fearing it could reject the project because of the poor cost-benefit ratio. Three months later the government prepared a new business case that included other measures, including the widening of CityLink, the Tullamarine Freeway and the Eastern Freeway, to produce an estimated return of $1.40 for every dollar invested. Those figures were used by the government in a short-form business case it presented to Infrastructure Australia.

The documents also showed that once the full 18 km road link was complete in 2023, the project's builder was to receive annual payments of more than $340 million. Tolls were expected to raise $137 million annually, requiring taxpayers to contribute an additional $205 million a year.[125][126]

Auditor-General’s report

In December 2015 Victorian acting Auditor-General Peter Frost issued an audit report on the project that criticised the actions of both the Napthine Coalition government and the Andrews Labor government in starting and terminating the project.

Frost concluded the decision to sign construction contracts so close to the November 2014 state election was imprudent and exposed the state to significant cost and risk when it knew there was a significant risk that legal challenges would prevent it from proceeding. He said the project’s business case had not clearly established the need for the investment; had not been able to demonstrate the accuracy and plausibility of the assumed wider economic benefits; had not addressed major concerns by peer reviewers over traffic modelling raised; and had not provided a sound basis for prioritising the eastern section over other sections of the road. Frost said the decision to start work first on the eastern section had been a government policy decision rather than being based on cost-benefit analysis.

Frost said the decision by the Andrews government to terminate the project had been made without full consideration of the merits of continuing, or by weighing those benefits against the costs of terminating the contract. He said the government had reimbursed costs claimed by the East West Consortium despite being refused access to the consortium’s financial records to verify the amount, ultimately incurring termination costs of $1.1 billion for little tangible benefit.[127][128]

Use and disposal of acquired houses

In October 2014 by the Linking Melbourne Authority announced it would compulsorily acquire more than 100 homes for the East West Link. After abandoning the project the Andrews Labor government announced it would progressively sell most of them over the following two years, but transfer 20 houses to the social housing sector specifically to accommodate homeless people.[129][130] In March 2016 a group of homeless women attempted to squat in one of about nine houses in Bendigo Street Collingwood that remained vacant, but were evicted by the state government.[131] The action sparked the ongoing Bendigo street housing campaign by Homeless Persons Union Victoria, homeless people, squatters and housing campaigners.[132]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Harris, Amelia (8 May 2013). "Motorists will pay tolls for decades". The Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Lucas, Clay; Gordon, Josh (15 April 2015). "Victorian government settles East West Link claim for $339m". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Infrastructure Priority List, Australian Infrastructure Plan Project and Initiative Summaries. Australia: Infrastructure Australia. February 2017. ISBN 978-1-925352-12-2.
  4. 1 2 Miller, Royce; Schneiders, Ben (11 January 2016). "The East West Link lives on in long-term road plan". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Dowling, Jason (6 June 2013). "Coalition overruled advice on road links". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "East West Link-Western Section to reduce travel time and congestion for Ballarat commuters" (Press release). Victorian State Government. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  7. 1 2 Davidson, Kenneth (24 June 2013). "Why tunnel vision will cost all Victorians, big time". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 Hammond, Graeme (6 May 2013). "Ten more years of stress until tunnel". Sunday Herald Sun. Melbourne. pp. 18, 19.
  9. 1 2 Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, Overview, pg 4, 11, 12.
  10. ↑ Campbell, James (30 June 2013). "State government reveals plans to widen the Eastern Fwy". The Herald Sun. Melbourne.
  11. ↑ Carey, Adam (31 October 2013). "New off-ramp part of state's east-west link revamp". The Age. Melbourne. p. 8. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Kenneth Davidson (June 2013). "Trains not toll roads". Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  13. 1 2 Gordon, Josh (10 December 2014). "ALP backs away from its metro rail tunnel". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Gordon, Josh (1 December 2015). "It lives! Guy revives the East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 14. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  15. 1 2 Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 5, pg 129.
  16. ↑ "Issues and Trends: Transport" (PDF). Northern Central City Corridor Study. www.doi.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  17. ↑ "Melbourne's Transport Task – an overview". www.melbourne.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 17 September 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  18. ↑ Wallace, Rick (6 May 1999). "Road tunnel". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 1.
  19. ↑ Johnston, Damon; Genevieve Lally (7 May 1999). "Planned underpass to be a new tollway". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 4.
  20. ↑ http://www.ycat.org.au/?page_id=3424
  21. ↑ Dubecki, Larissa (14 August 2003). "Tunnel under Royal park to link freeways shelved". The Age. Melbourne. p. 10. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  22. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 5, pg 122, 137.
  23. ↑ Silkstone, Dan (1 June 2005). "Plan to overhaul city's transport network". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3.
  24. ↑ Silkstone, Dan (31 August 2005). "$10bn tunnel to beat gridlock". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1.
  25. ↑ Silkstone, Dan (8 November 2005). "Massive tunnel plan backed by business". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1.
  26. 1 2 Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 9, pg 217-218.
  27. ↑ Miller, Royce; David Rood; Adam Morton (3 April 2008). "18bn to link east and west". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1.
  28. ↑ The Victorian Transport Plan, Victoria Government, overview, page 6. 8 December 2008.
  29. ↑ Gardiner, Ashley (10 December 2008). "Six more years of patience". The Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 19.
  30. ↑ Gardiner, Ashley (9 December 2008). "Billions bound to keep us moving". The Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 16.
  31. ↑ About Linking Melbourne Authority, LMA website, accessed 3 July 2013.
  32. ↑ Lucas, Clay (7 January 2011). "Transport plan shelved". The Age. Melbourne. p. 6.
  33. ↑ "Coalition Government to build the East West Link", Victoria Government media release, 7 May 2013.
  34. ↑ Three consortia shortlisted for East-West Link Urbanlyst 7 October 2013
  35. ↑ Gordon, Josh (1 October 2013). "Pre-poll deadline on east-west link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 9. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  36. ↑ Gordon, Josh (29 October 2013). "Road consulting process 'a sham'". The Age. Melbourne. p. 9. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  37. ↑ Yueyang, Maggie Lu (24 June 2014), "Leighton loses East West bid", The Australian, retrieved 24 June 2014
  38. ↑ Wiggins, Jenny; Carey, Adam (29 July 2014). "Link project too risky for Leighton". The Age. Melbourne. p. 6. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  39. ↑ "East West Connect announced as preferred bidder for East West Link" (Press release). Linking Melbourne Authority. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  40. ↑ Wright, Jessica (24 September 2013). "Threat to call in police as protesters block east-west drilling". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  41. ↑ ABC: "Road protesters confront police over East West Link drilling", 9 January 2014
  42. ↑ Ashlynne McGhee: "State Government says east west link protest has cost $1.6 million", ABC, 24 January 2014
  43. ↑ "Legal challenge to Melbourne's multibillion-dollar East West Link". The Guardian. 22 April 2014.
  44. ↑ Masanauskas, John (23 April 2014). "Rebel with so many causes". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 9. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  45. ↑ Lee, Jane (11 September 2014). "Resident loses court battle to stop the tunnel". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  46. ↑ Carey, Adam; Lucas, Clay (30 June 2014). "East West Link project approved with Royal Park largely spared". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  47. ↑ Cook, Henrietta (21 July 2014). "Yarra Council joins Moreland to fight East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  48. ↑ Lucas, Clay (21 November 2014). "Moonee Valley Council launches legal action against East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 14. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  49. ↑ Carey, Adam (22 August 2014). "Councils' East West Link legal challenge deferred until after election". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  50. ↑ Carey, Adam; Cook, Henrietta (11 September 2014). "Labor rolls dice in vow to kill East-West". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  51. ↑ Lucas, Clay; Gordon, Josh (30 September 2014). "Builder wins even if tunnel is never built". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  52. ↑ Tomazin, Farrah (23 November 2014). "Andrews digs in on East West tunnel". Sunday Age. Melbourne. p. 4. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  53. ↑ Willingham, Richard; Gordon, Josh (1 December 2014). "Now for the $7b East West question". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  54. ↑ Willingham, Richard; Cook, Henrietta (12 December 2014). "Opposition Leader Matthew Guy wants federal funds to stay in Vic". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  55. ↑ Gordon, Josh (28 January 2015). "Infrastructure adviser does an about-turn". The Age. Melbourne. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  56. ↑ Keen, Lucille (20 January 2015). "Link contracts may not be out by Vic budget". Australian Financial Review. Sydney. p. 9.
  57. ↑ Gordon, Josh (2 February 2015). "State's credit rating hangs on Link deal". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2.
  58. ↑ "Tony Abbott's address to the National Press Club of Australia". Prime Minister of Australia website. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  59. ↑ Whinnett, Ellen (21 January 2015). "Battle over Govt's $1.5b". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 4.
  60. ↑ Squires, Mandy (7 April 2015). "Just build it, Liberals say". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong. p. 4. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  61. ↑ Whinnett, Ellen (12 October 2015). "$200m gridlock buster". Herald Sun. Melbourne. pp. 1, 6.
  62. ↑ Keen, Lucille (29 October 2015). "Turnbull's reversal thaws relations with Victoria". Australian Financial Review. p. 10. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  63. ↑ Gordon, Josh (17 February 2016). "Axed link 'certain to be linked'". The Age. p. 1. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  64. ↑ Infrastructure priority list, Infrastructure Australia, February 2016, pages 6,28
  65. ↑ Carey, Adam (6 April 2017). "Australian crawl on the Eastern Freeway". The Age. Melbourne. p. 11.
  66. ↑ Carey, Adam (12 April 2017). "Port urges road, rail boost". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1, 2-3.
  67. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 5, pg 134.
  68. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 6, pg 143, 145.
  69. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 4, pg 96.
  70. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 5, pg 118.
  71. ↑ "Using ICT to Improve Traffic Management, Victorian Auditor-General's Report, June 2014, pp 2, 30-31.
  72. ↑ Gordon, Josh (4 July 2013). "State ups toll-road forecast to 80,000 vehicles a day". The Age. Melbourne. p. 9. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  73. ↑ Investing in Transport: East West Link Needs Assessment, a study by Sir Rod Eddington, March 2008, chapter 5, pg 129, 132, 137.
  74. ↑ "Coalition Government to build the east West Link", Victorian Government media release, 7 May 2013.
  75. 1 2 Edwards, Jean (29 April 2014). "Melbourne East West Link: Route for second stage not finalised". ABC News.
  76. ↑ Edwards, Jean (7 May 2013). "Government commits funds for East West Link". ABC News. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  77. ↑ Massola, James (28 April 2014). "Federal billion for second stage of Melbourne's East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  78. ↑ Massola, James (29 April 2014). "M80 funds diverted to East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 5. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  79. ↑ Gordon, Josh (11 February 2015). "Tony Abbott faces East West link investigation over $3 billion funding commitment". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  80. ↑ Moreland City Council: "Trains-Not-Toll-Roads Rally", retrieved 14 April 2014
  81. 1 2 Dow, Aisha: "City council gives tunnel thumbs down, for now" in The Age, 28 August 2013
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  83. ↑ Dow, Aisha: "East-west link to take 6% of Royal Park: report" in The Age, 26 August 2013
  84. ↑ Price, Nic (14 June 2013). "Residents rally in numbers to back Yarra Council against road link". Melbourne Leader. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  85. ↑ Ainsworth, Michelle (15 September 2014). "Cash splash to stop Link". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 9.
  86. 1 2 Cook, Henrietta (14 June 2013). "Yarra Council vows to fight east-west project". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  87. 1 2 Price, Nic (22 May 2013). "Yarra Council continues campaign against the $8 billion East West link". Melbourne Leader. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  88. ↑ Gordon, Josh (26 May 2013). "Tunnel won't fix traffic woes". The Sunday Age. Melbourne. p. 1.
  89. ↑ Gordon, Josh (9 December 2013). "Road congestion nightmare". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  90. ↑ Carey, Adam (4 June 2013). "East-west link could delay airport traffic". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  91. 1 2 3 "East West Link Report" (PDF). City of Boroondara. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
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  93. ↑ Carey, Adam; Josh Gordon (27 May 2013). "Poll shows public prefers rail tunnel ahead of road link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  94. ↑ Tomazin, Farrah (2 March 2014). "Poll bad news for east-west link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  95. ↑ Carey, Adam (28 November 2013). "Victorian public has strong doubts about east-west link". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  96. ↑ Devic, Aleks (13 November 2014). "Voters swinging behind East West". Herald Sun. Melbourne. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  97. ↑ Gordon, Josh (14 November 2014). "Poll numbers spell doom for Napthine". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  98. ↑ "Premier not deterred by Infrastructure Australia roadblock on East West Link". abc.net.au. 3 July 2013.
  99. ↑ "Residents and businesses seek legal advice over East West Link". Melbourne: abc.net.au. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  100. ↑ Keen, Lucille (16 May 2013). "East West road to go ahead despite budget". Australian Financial Review. Sydney. p. 3.
  101. ↑ Carey, Adam (17 July 2013). "Federal funds for link at risk". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 1, 4–5.
  102. ↑ Carey, Adam (17 June 2013). "State bypasses roads body on east-west link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 3. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  103. ↑ Keen, Lucille (14 May 2013). "Traffic figures kept secret". Australian Financial Review. Sydney. p. 13.
  104. ↑ Carey, Adam; Tom Arup (13 September 2012). "Super funds wary of east-west road link". The Age. Melbourne. p. 10. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  105. ↑ Murphy, Jason; Lucille Keen (9 May 2013). "Super funds want tollway certainty". Australian Financial Review. Sydney. p. 10.
  106. ↑ Gordon, Josh (13 February 2014). "East-west link would not return state costs". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  107. 1 2 Carey, Adam (15 May 2013). "Warning on high tunnel toll". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 1, 5, 18. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  108. ↑ Sturup, Sophie; Nicholas Low (15 May 2013). "East-west tunnel plan looms as a road to ruin". The Age. Melbourne. p. 18. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  109. ↑ Millar, Royce; Schneiders, Ben; Gordon, Josh (11 November 2014). "$17.8b True cost of the East West Link". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 1, 4–5. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  110. ↑ Gordon, Josh; Cowie, Tom (12 November 2014). "Winner set for healthy war chest". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  111. ↑ Best, Cameron (2 July 2013). "Geelong warned tunnel legacy will be gridlock". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong. p. 7. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  112. ↑ "Napthine's $billion tunnel a dud with no mandate" (Press release). Daniel Andrews, Leader of the Opposition. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
  113. ↑ Payne, Grant (20 May 2013). "MP slams transport link move". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong. p. 9.
  114. 1 2 Best, Cameron (8 May 2013). "Start for road link, but it's a long wait". Geelong Advertiser. Geelong. p. 4.
  115. ↑ Harris, Amelia (26 June 2013). "Councils unite on East West Link and call to put tunnel first". Herald Sun. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  116. ↑ Dowling, Jason (3 June 2013). "West Gate stretched to the limit". The Age. Melbourne. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  117. ↑ Gordon, Josh; Lara O'Toole; Richard Willingham (9 May 2013). "East-west tunnel gets no Canberra funding". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  118. ↑ "Fears of east-west link impact on zoo animals". The Age. Melbourne. 4 October 2013.
  119. ↑ "Hippos interrupted: tunnel stress fears for zoo's higher orders". The Age. Melbourne. 6 October 2013.
  120. ↑ Dowling, Jason (26 March 2013). "Freeway plans show huge impact zone in Royal Park". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 4, 5. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  121. ↑ Johnston, Matt; James Campbell; Amelia Harris (9 May 2013). "No emergency lanes". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 10.
  122. ↑ Johnston, Matt (16 July 2013). "Residents call in lawyers to save homes to be affected by East West Link". Herald Sun. Melbourne. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  123. ↑ Dow, Aisha (17 July 2013). "East-worst: heavy toll for Parkville apartments". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  124. ↑ Dow, Aisha (11 April 2014). "East West Link to cast shadow over lives of disadvantaged". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  125. ↑ Carey, Adam; Cook, Henrietta; Gordon, Josh (16 December 2014). "Road project faced a $56-year toll bill". The Age. Melbourne. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  126. ↑ Ainsworth, Michelle; Johnston, Matt; Campbell, James (16 December 2014). "East West potholes". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 10.
  127. ↑ East West Link Project report, Victorian Auditor-General’s Office, 9 December 2015, pages ix-xvi, 28.
  128. ↑ Campbell, James; Johnston, Matt (10 December 2015). "Andrews damned". Herald Sun. Melbourne. p. 5.
  129. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, "Homes forcibly acquired for East West Link for sale next year", November 17 2015
  130. ↑ The Age, "East West Link houses handed over to homeless people", 6 September 2015
  131. ↑ The Age, "Homeless women told they had 10 minutes to leave east west link home", 1 April 2016
  132. ↑ Homeless Persons Union Victoria official website
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