Victorian Liberals promise to revive controversial East West Link

Six years after Dan Andrews tore up the contract, the Victorian Liberals have recommitted to building the controversial East West Link.

A road tunnel between Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway and ­CityLink that was ditched by Premier Daniel Andrews would be resurrected by a ­Coalition government.

Marking the sixth anniversary of the cancellation of East West Link stage one by Labor — despite up to $1.3bn having been spent on the project — the Victorian Liberals have recommitted to the controversial toll road.

The Morrison government also confirmed its $4bn contribution towards the tunnel still stood.

State Liberals say the federal government commitment means that, with private contributions, Victorians would effectively get a “free road”.

The East West Link was initially part of a blueprint to ease congestion in Melbourne released in 2008 by Sir Rod Eddington, as an 18km cross-city tunnel that would ease congestion at the end of the Eastern Freeway and across the West Gate Bridge.

The East West Link would’ve likely be finished now, if the contract wasn’t torn up.

An artist impression of the East West Link.

In 2014, shortly before an election, the Napthine government signed contracts to build stage one of the road between the Eastern and CityLink in Parkville for $6.8bn with taxpayers set to outlay $2bn.

But Mr Andrews promised to ditch the road if elected, saying the road’s business case did not stack up, and killed the contracts when he became premier.

Mr Andrews promised to instead build a $6.7bn West Gate Tunnel, but that project has stalled due to issues with contaminated soil. He has also promised a $15.8bn North East Link to connect the Eastern Freeway to the M80 in Greensborough.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews famously dumped the project. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Opposition roads spokesman Tim Smith said the state still desperately needed an East West Link.

“The frustration we all experience queuing up for hours when the Eastern Freeway abruptly ends in a T-intersection at Hoddle Street is palpable,” he said.

“For so many commuters, particularly from the eastern suburbs, the extreme irritation experienced by many is the knowledge that had Andrews not torn up the contract, the proposed 6km road connecting the Eastern Freeway at Hoddle Street to CityLink, would have been built by now.”

The Liberals say the bottleneck causes drivers “extreme irritation”.

But Acting Premier James Merlino maintained the East West Link didn’t stack up and would not be built by the Andrews Government.

He also said the road could not happen while construction ramped up on one of his government’s signature projects the North East Link.

“You simply cannot do them at the same time,” he said.

“You will not be able to get significant road traffic into the CBD.

“It doesn’t stack up financially and it doesn’t stack up in terms of the needs of our community.

“This is a project that has never stacked up and it is a project that was resoundingly rejected by the Victorian community not once but twice at general elections.”

Mr Merlino maintained the North East Link project was more important.

“The Liberal Party, by making this ridiculous third-time announcement today, are saying to the people of Victoria they do not support North East Link,” he said.

Victorian Labor insists the EWL is dead, after winning two successive state elections opposing the road.

But federal assistant treasurer and federal Deakin MP Michael Sukkar confirmed the Commonwealth would contribute $4bn for any government willing to build the project.

“Not only will this project drastically reduce commute times, but it will create 6000 construction jobs,” he said.

Infrastructure Australia continues to list the project as a “high priority” for Victoria.