The nonentity of Victorian politics, Mr Nobody Andrew Daniels lies again! Clown.
Premier Daniel Andrews $180m West Gate blowout revealed
Ellen Whinnett
Herald Sun
January 28, 2015 11:45PM
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Nicole Garmston
A SECRET $180 million cost blowout has been revealed in the Andrews Government’s plans for its West Gate truck bypass.
Premier Daniel Andrews went to the state election saying it would cost between $400 million and $500 million to divert trucks out of the western suburbs into the Port of Melbourne via an elevated road.
But in a paper to the Federal Government in December, the State Government listed the project as costing $680 million.
The figure is contained in the Andrews Government’s infrastructure funding wish list given to Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
The revelations of a $180 million funding hole increases pressure on the Andrews Government, which is already facing a compensation bill of up to $1.2 billion for ripping up the East West Link contract.
The Herald Sun has obtained a copy of the document, which shows the Andrews Government was caught padding out its submission to Canberra in an effort to take its funding bid up to $3 billion — the amount it would have received had it proceeded with the East West Link.
Mr Andrews’s spokesman, Chris Piper, said the West Gate Distributor project was “within the scope’’ of the $500 million costs given before the election.
He said the extra $180 million emerged because the Government was seeking money for extra lanes on the West Gate Freeway.
The document does not identify the lanes as a separate project, instead listing it as “West Gate Distributor”.
Further, it lists the project as “shovel-ready’’, despite Mr Piper telling the Herald Sun the State Government had not made any decision to fund a $180 million project to add extra lanes to the West Gate Freeway.
The Andrews Government wish list includes the removal of level crossings at Bayswater, Blackburn, Glen Iris and Heatherdale, estimated to cost more than $1.6 billion.
The list also includes the $310 million Thompsons Rd duplication, the duplication of Van Yean Rd for $95 million, and the Drysdale bypass, estimated to cost $109 million.
A new computerised traffic management system aimed to streamline traffic on Hoddle St is also listed to cost $60 million.
“The document was put together by VicRoads for the benefit of the Prime Minister, to show what could be done if the Prime Minister was so inclined,’’ Mr Piper said. “It has not been committed to by us.’’
However, in Mr Andrews’ Project 10,000 document, under the headline “West Gate Distributor’’, the Government has promised to “increase capacity on the West Gate Freeway by adding an extra lane in each direction between the Western Ring Road and Williamstown Road using overhead lane management technology currently in use on the M1.’’
It lists that in the total cost of $500 million.
Mr Piper said this would be achieved by the use of traffic signals and traffic management, and would be within the $500 million promise.
He said the version put in writing to the Prime Minister was from VicRoads’ forward plan, and was a “souped-up version’’ put forward in hope of obtaining Federal funding.
The State and Federal governments negotiated for months over Canberra’s promised $3 billion for the now cancelled East West Link.
The document obtained by the Herald Sun lists 15 “shovel-ready” projects totalling about $3 billion, which are claimed to create a “total over 4000 jobs.”
This includes the West Gate, listed as creating an estimated 875 jobs.
On January 21, the Government called for expressions of interest in the first stage of the project, saying it would take 5000 trucks off the West Gate Bridge every day.
The Federal Government has insisted the $3 billion pledged will only go towards building the East West Link, and federal ministers have continued to lobby Mr Andrews to build the road.
Mr Andrews insists the Link will not go ahead, and instead had the document prepared to encourage the Federal Government to fund other projects.
A stand-off has emerged over the Federal funding — $1.5 billion of which is already sitting in State Government coffers — because the Abbott Government is reluctant to be seen ripping $3 billion out of the Victorian economy.
