No sign yet of business case for new Bridgewater Bridge

THE State Government has failed to submit a final business case for the $580 million Bridgewater Bridge.

From left, Senator Eric Abetz, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Senator Jonathon Duniam and Premier Will Hodgman at the Bridgewater Bridge. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

THE State Government has failed to submit a final business case for the $580 million Bridgewater Bridge.

In hearings of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee in Canberra on Monday, Tasmanian Senator Carol Brown asked Infrastructure Australia officials when the document was produced.

“We haven’t received a final business case for that yet,” came the response.

Infrastructure Australia has previously warned that too many projects are being funded without a business case.

In August, the State Government said the document was “weeks away”.

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A State Government spokesman dismissed the revelation as “Labor scaremongering” and said the project was proceeding and the Federal Government had allocated $461 million towards it in the last budget.

But Federal Labor MP for Lyons Brian Mitchell said the failure to produce the document would slow construction down.

“It is remarkable that despite all the splashy announcements and photo opportunities, the Hodgman Government is still yet to submit the final business case for this project,” Mr Mitchell said, noting that the 2024 completion date had shifted to 2025.

“This delay will inevitably mean the start of construction on this vital infrastructure project is pushed back which isn’t good enough.

“We already know the completion date for the new Bridgewater Bridge has been delayed to 2025 — when will the Hodgman Government finally get its act together and submit the final business case?”

Mr Mitchell compared the project to the long-awaited changes to the Hobart Airport roundabout.

“If the upgrade of a roundabout takes more than six years for the state and federal Liberal governments to complete how can anyone trust them to get other major infrastructure projects in our state right?”

A State Government rejected the claims.

“This is typical scaremongering from Labor,” he said. “The fact is both state and federal governments have committed the funds needed to see a new Bridgewater Bridge built by 2024. That has not changed.

“Labor have no credibility when it comes to major infrastructure projects in Tasmania — they squandered the funding provided to their government to get on with the Bridgewater Bridge back in 2005.”

According to the Department of State Growth, the current Bridgewater Bridge is reaching the end of its serviceable life and does not meet contemporary loading and design standards.