Barwon Heads Rd upgrade to cost $46 million more, state says that’s because bike lanes, drainage, other additions
The price tag of the Barwon Heads Road duplication has swelled by the equivalent of $64,000 a day since it was promised two years ago. So who’s to blame?
Geelong
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The price tag of the Barwon Heads Road duplication has swelled by the equivalent of $64,000 a day, or $46 million, since it was promised two years ago.
The project, a commitment Labor took to the 2018 election, is expected to widen the road to four lanes between Belmont and Marshall and add an overpass across the Geelong rail line.
But it has drawn just $400,000 in planning money from Labor as its cost has blown out from $318.3m to $365m.
Last week the federal government committed $292m to the project in bid to speed up its delivery.
Following a second day of questions to the state government, South Barwon MP Darren Cheeseman said on-road bike lanes and better “services infrastructure”, drainage and environmental protections would be added to the project.
Liberal Western Victorian MP Beverley McArthur said the state government needed to explain the cost blowout.
“I call on the Minister for Roads to reveal immediately the nature and details of the $46 million cost blowout on the duplication of Barwon Heads Road,” Ms McArthur said.
“It’s a legitimate question and refusing to answer just shows the lofty contempt this government is becoming renowned for.”
In 2018 when the state government committed to the fund the entire project, Bellarine MP Lisa Neville said: “This road is a critical piece of infrastructure and we have been doing the planning to get it right. The Liberals’ promise to fix this road is undercooked and under costed, with not enough money to duplicate to Reserve Road let alone Mount Duneed Road.”
At the time Liberals’ iteration of the project was costed at $292m.
On Wednesday, Ms Neville would not respond to her 2018 comments about the project’s costing but said the state government would work with the Commonwealth to “fully deliver” the critical project.
It is now more than three years since Labor committed $3m for a planning study for the duplication of Barwon Heads Road.
Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson said it was imperative Daniel Andrews committed to make up the $73m funding shortfall of the project, ahead of its planned start in mid 2021.
“I am advised that the state government’s original cost was based off early estimates and further development work has been completed to inform the total project cost of $365 million,” Senator Henderson said.
“There have also been cost escalations since the 2018 state election when Victorian Labor promised to fully fund this project but then failed to deliver any construction funding.”
In April last year, Major Road Projects Victoria revised designs for the project but the price tag was still touted at $318.3m.
The re-jig of the project included reducing: construction zones from 70m to 40m wide;
the impact on sporting fields, clubrooms and parking areas at the South Barwon Reserve; and land acquisition by 20 per cent.
Mr Cheeseman said: “We’re getting on with this much needed upgrade that will duplicate Barwon Heads Road and remove a dangerous level crossing to boost safety and improve traffic flow.”
Barwon Heads Road is expected to cater for 33,000 daily journeys by 2031.
Originally published as Barwon Heads Rd upgrade to cost $46 million more, state says that’s because bike lanes, drainage, other additions