The federal government will provide 50 per cent of the shared $55 million initial costs of the proposed Perth-Bunbury Highway ahead of construction later this year, marking another chapter of a long drawn-out debate between the state and the commonwealth.
The federal government has announced that it will provide 50 per cent of the shared $55 million initial costs of the proposed Perth-Bunbury Highway ahead of construction later this year.
The 'pre-construction costs' include payments to Main Roads Western Australia for managing the project, design engineering expertise and land purchases along the 70.5 km corridor of the $450 million project.
The announcement is another chapter in a drawn out debate between the state and federal governments, with the state providing $330 million and the commonwealth $170, according to Main Roads, to the Perth-Bunbury highway, which will be constructed as a single project from Kwinana Freeway at Safety Bay Road to Old Coast Road in Lake Clifton.
Two short listed consortia - namely the Southern Gateway Consortium and the Gateway Alliance - are currently preparing technical proposals and a Project Target Cost, which will be assessed by Main Roads along with other information collected during the selection process.
SGC is headed by Leighton Contractors in alliance with WA Limestone, while GA comprises Thiess Pty Ltd with Maunsell Australia Pty Ltd and Clough Projects Australia Pty Ltd with Coffey Geosciences Pty Ltd.
The proposals will be submitted by the two short listed constortia in the first week of August and Main Roads expects to select the preferred participant early in September 2006 and to form the Alliance in October 2006.
In late June this year WA planning and infrastructure minister Alannah MacTiernan said the federal government was 'playing ducks and drakes with WA taxpayers and South-West road users', after announcing his department required a more thorough environmental assessment of the project.
"For every other WA road project, the environmental assessment required by the Commonwealth concerned only the impact of constructing the road," the minister said.
"However, they have advised us that funding now depends on a massively expanded environmental assessment of the impact of residential and industrial development which may occur around the highway, both in the Peel and around Bunbury, once the highway is completed."
Federal environment minister Ian Campbell hit back at the claims, accusing Ms MacTiernan of holding up the progress of the Perth-Bunbury Highway by delaying the delivery of documentation to the government for 12 months, and calling for the Premier to request her resignation.
Today's press release from the Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads is pasted below
The Australian Government will provide 50 per cent of the shared $55 million initial costs associated with the new Perth-Bunbury Highway ahead of construction starting later this year, Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads Jim Lloyd said today.
The 'pre-construction costs' include payments to Main Roads Western Australia for managing the project, design engineering expertise and land purchases along the 70.5 km corridor of the $450 million project.
Mr Lloyd said the commitment to the project should reassure people of the Peel and South-West regions that the Australian Government was committed to seeing construction of the new highway proceed this year.
Mr Lloyd said he was pleased that the $170 million in Australian Government funding provided for the project under AusLink, the National Transport Plan, had allowed construction to be brought forward.
"This new road link will support the tremendous growth of the Peel and South-West regions and will help sustain industrial and economic diversification around Mandurah and Bunbury," Mr Lloyd said.
Mr Lloyd said that negotiations were continuing with two consortiums, one of which would build the highway. The successful consortium would be known in August.
"Plans have been on the board since the 1970s, so it is pleasing to see that we have entered the lead-up phase to construction starting," Mr Lloyd said.
The West Australian Government will be covering half the cost of the initial pre construction costs.
"I am pleased the Australian Government is pushing forward with this important project," he said.
