Perth Freight Link: Federal Government pledges $260m boost for tunnel 'to save homes'
By Graeme Powell
Posted Mon 11 Apr 2016 at 11:38pm Monday 11 Apr 2016 at 11:38pm Mon 11 Apr 2016 at 11:38pm , updated Tue 12 Apr 2016 at 6:37am Tuesday 12 Apr 2016 at 6:37am Tue 12 Apr 2016 at 6:37am
The Perth Freight Link is a bypass road linking the city's east to the Fremantle Port. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)
abc.net.au/news/federal-government-pledges-boost-for-perth-freight-link/7318600
The Perth Freight link is set to receive a $260 million injection from the Federal Government, which the WA Transport Minister says will avoid the need to demolish homes to build it.
Federal Government locks in $260m, taking overall commitment to $1.2b
Tunnel to be built between Stock-Winterfold Road and High Street
Court action still looming over project next month
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is in Perth today, confirmed the Federal Government funds would go towards building a 3 kilometre tunnel for the project under the suburbs of Beaconsfield and White Gum Valley.
"This ... will link Perth and Western Australia and all of the goods, all of the exports that come to that berth of Fremantle," he said.
"Fundamentally, these cities ... must be liveable, they must be efficient, they must be able to connect to the world."
The tunnel will be built between the Stock-Winterfold Road intersection to the junction of the Stirling Highway and High Street in Fremantle.
The investment will take the Federal Government's commitment to the $1.9 billion project to $1.2 billion.
Transport Minister Dean Nalder said the tunnel would avoid the need to demolish homes and businesses.
He said the State Government would save $400 million it would otherwise have needed to buy homes and businesses in the path of the road.
Disruption to residents would be minimal during the tunnel's construction, he said.
"We are trying to minimise the number of properties that we are going under, for example we'll be under Royal Fremantle Golf Course," he said.
"It's in the vicinity of 120 to 140 houses that we'll be going under, and the state will take responsibility for the upkeep of those properties, but we're very, very confident that there'll be no impact at all."
Mr Nalder said the Government would get an independent expert to assess homes in the path of the tunnel and they would be inspected before, during and after construction to ensure they are not damaged.
Community group want Kwinana outer harbour instead
The project has sparked an ongoing legal challenge and community opposition to the development, over concerns it will damage the Beeliar Wetlands.
Rethink The Link spokeswoman Kim Dravnieks said the group was disappointed, and the announcement would make Mr Turnbull look "silly".
She said the project was not viable and her group would continue action in the Supreme Court to try to stop it going ahead.
There's less than a year to the state election and this will be a major issue at the state election.
"The Government has no idea how to get this road across the [Swan] river into the port, so this is a waste of funds," she said.
"They still don't have a really good plan for this road. They are making it up as they go along."
She said recent industry leaders had told a Senate enquiry a viable alternative would be an outer harbour built in Kwinana, in Perth's south.
Ms Dravnieks said her group had not given up hope of stopping the road despite Mr Turnbull's support for the project.
"There's no way this is lost," she said.
"The Roe 8 section [of the highway] is still invalid.
"There's a Supreme Court appeal on May 2 and we are hopeful they [the government] will not win the appeal."
WA Labor Party spokeswoman for Transport Rita Saffioti said she was surprised the Prime Minister was supporting a project the community does not want.
"I don't think it's a done deal," she said.
"There's less than a year to the state election and this will be a major issue at the state election.
"We call on the Government to be sensible about this and not to pursue a project the community does not want."
Federal Greens leader Dr Richard Di Natale, in town to launch the party's campaign for the up-coming federal election, criticised Mr Turnbull for backing a project that still has not received environmental approval.
"This option before us will patch up a problem for a few years, create a whole set of new issues," he said.
Posted 11 Apr 2016 11 Apr 2016 Mon 11 Apr 2016 at 11:38pm , updated 12 Apr 2016 12 Apr 2016 Tue 12 Apr 2016 at 6:37am
New court fight over Perth highway extension to begin
Fresh appeal drawn up against Perth Freight Link extension
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