Mornington Peninsula mayor proposes bridge between Sorrento and Queenscliff
It may have been a thought bubble jotted on a napkin but the Mornington Peninsula mayor’s giant bridge plan is winning support.
South East
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A tongue in cheek plan to build a “Golden Gate Bridge” for the Mornington Peninsula is being backed by locals and visitors to the holiday hot spot.
Mornington Peninsula mayor Steve Holland first presented the idea, jotted on a napkin, as part of 3AWs Idea Factory last week.
After the segment he told Leader the idea was “pie in the sky” and not a serious consideration.
However, an exclusive Leader poll has revealed more than 50 per cent of respondents thought the idea had merit.
A total of 132 voters (45 per cent) said a bridge or tunnel would ease congestion and encourage tourism.
A further 25 people (8 per cent) wanted a faster, cheaper way to cross the bay.
However, 30 per cent were against the plan with 73 respondents (25 per cent) saying it was “a crazy idea” in light of everything else needed across the shire.
Just 17 per cent (51 votes) understood the idea was “clearly a joke”.
One man said he loved the idea of being able to bypass the city to travel between the peninsulas without spending time and money on the existing ferries.
He dismissed concerns from locals about the environmental impact and extra traffic a bridge would bring.
“If they don’t want the hustle and bustle that comes with tourism, they should move elsewhere that doesn’t attract attention,” he said.
Others said they would be happy to pay a toll to use a bridge.
Giant bridge plan floated for Mornington Peninsula
A giant 10km bridge across Port Phillip Bay is being touted as the next big idea for the Mornington Peninsula.
Mayor Steve Holland on Thursday told 3AW’s Ideas Factory that a bridge or tunnel was needed to link Sorrento and Queenscliff.
Cr Holland said the plan would revolutionise travel across the bay and stop traffic jams around ferry terminals in the towns.
“Come summer the traffic is incredible … banked back on both sides of the Bellarine Peninsula and the Mornington Peninsula to get on the ferries,” he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
“Sorrento and Queenscliff become parking lots.”
He said a bridge or tunnel would appeal to locals as well as tourists, but restrictions on large trucks would be needed.
Cr Holland said the idea for a bridge had been around since the 1950s and “the Baby Boomers that run infrastructure in Victoria could redeem themselves with this project”.
He estimated it would cost about $20b to build a bridge.
The mayor’s “visionary project” did not win much support from residents, business leaders or even fellow councillors.
Searoad Ferries chief Matt McDonald said the plan “wasn’t helpful”.
“The focus should be on achieving meaningful infrastructure projects like an upgrade to Rosebud Hospital and creating a performing arts centre on the peninsula.”
He said traffic congestion around the ferry terminal was only an issue “on odd days during peak season”.
“There are tens of thousands of cars on the southern peninsula during peak times and the ferries only account for 3-6 per cent of that.
“Traffic volumes though a tunnel would ultimately end up on the peninsula’s residential roads.”
January traffic jams created by drivers using the ferry when the West Gate Bridge was reduced to a single lane for planned maintenance were an anomaly, he said.
“The ferries takes 250,000 cars a year; the Westgate takes 250,000 cars a day.
“The volumes simply aren’t comparable.”
Sorrento based councillor Susan Bissinger said the infrastructure needed would “wipe out” Sorrento.
“We have all seen what tunnel entries look like and the off ramps for bridges, surely common sense will prevail on this and it will not be mentioned again,” she said.
The “big idea” also stunned locals.
“Surely we have not reached this stage of fantasy at MPSC!” William Holmes posted on social media.
“Could we please ask our councillors to immediately get back to more mundane matters such as roads, rubbish collection.”
“It would be awful and totally impractical … let alone what it would do to the surrounding environment,” Suzanne Gregory added.
Others questioned how it aligned with existing council projects.
“This seems inconsistent with Shire plans to reduce Nepean Highway through Rye to one lane each way,” Zac Anzac said.
Cr Holland later told the Leader that the proposal was not serious.
“It was a pie in the sky idea, which is what the radio segment was about,” he said.
“Was I too deadpan?”
The Queenscliffe Borough mayor has been contacted.
