Andrews Labor Goverment to build North East Link if re-elected

The Andrews Labor Government has revealed that the North East Link will be built, provided that they are re-elected in 2018. Before 2018, a comprehensive business case development process will be undertaken before planning approvals and tenders are sought.

The Labor Government will not be signing off on construction contracts before the election, to prevent a repeat of the situation which saw East West Link contracts signed, only for the following Government to can the project at a cost of $1.1 billion to Victorian taxpayers.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan spoke of the numerous benefits the project will have for local commuters.

 “Joining the ring road is a no brainer to take thousands of cars and trucks off local streets and congested freeways – but governments have put it in the too-hard basket for decades.

“The Andrews Labor Government will build the North East Link – the only project that can actually slash congestion in Melbourne’s north, south, and east, while the Western Distributor fixes traffic in the west,” said the Minister.

A new North East Link Authority has been established which will operate using the same model that successfully navigated the Metro Tunnel project, as well as works that removed 50 dangerous level crossings across Victoria.

The North East Link project will aim to relieve congestion on Melbourne’s north, south, and east roads.  The new link will take thousands of trucks off the already congested freeways by providing them with more direct routes to their destination, as well as providing the southern and eastern suburbs with a direct link to the Tullamarine Airport.

Early estimates suggest that the project would take approximately 10 years to be built, with construction works set to create more than 5,000 jobs at a cost of $10 billion.

The project will be funded by State and Federal Government funds, as well as tolls. Exact details will be finalised during the planning process for the project.

The project is expected to take around ten years to complete, create more than 5,000 direct jobs, and cost up to $10 billion, funded by a mixture of government contributions and tolls, with final funding arrangements determined as part of the detailed planning process.

Infrastructure Victoria had identified the North East Link as Victoria’s next priority transport infrastructure project as part of their 30-year Infrastructure Strategy which was released to the public last week.

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