Roads Australia
Infrastructure Australia Chairman, Sir Rod Eddington, has reportedly called for a ‘genuine rational discussion’ on the role of public-private partnerships.
According to a report in the Australian Financial Review last week, Sir Rod told a Melbourne conference that private sector capital, or a combination of both government and private funds, was essential to help deliver a number of the projects identified in IA’s recent report to the Rudd Government.
In other news, the Sydney Morning Herald reported this week that the NSW RTA had rejected a private proposal to build a tunnel linking the Spit Bridge to the Warringah Expressway, in Sydney’s north.
Meantime the Herald’s editorial writer had little to say on the road funding delivered in this week’s NSW State Budget, other than to comment that the spending promises had been boosted by an injection of Federal funding.
The Courier Mail’s editorial made no specific comment on the Queensland roads budget, but was somewhat critical of the Bligh and Beattie governments records on the delivery of public infrastructure.
The NSW and Queensland governments have announced road spending commitments worth $4.4 billion and $3.5 billion respectively in their 2009-10 state budgets handed down this week.
Queensland Roads Minister, Craig Wallace, says his Government’s road funding for 2009-10 represents a nine per cent increase on last year, while his NSW counterpart, Michael Daley, says his program is the biggest road investment program in NSW’s history - an increase of $400 million, or 10 per cent, on last year’s budget.
Mr Daley says his budget includes $1.8 billion for new roads, with major funding announcements including:
For detailed NSW Budget information, click here.
Major projects funded in the Queensland Budget include:
Mr Wallace said almost $260 million would be spent this year to continue construction of the second Gateway Bridge river crossing, which is ahead of schedule and due for completion in 2011.
For detailed Queensland Budget information, click here.
Roads Australia welcomed both government’s spending promises, although noting that both state budget ‘bottom lines’ appeared to have benefitted from increased Federal funding.
Former RTA Chief Executive, Les Wielinga, has been appointed as the acting Director General of the NSW’s Government’s new super agency, NSW Transport and Infrastructure.
Mr Wielinga left the RTA earlier this year to head up the Sydney Metro Authority, charged with managing the construction and delivery of the $4.8 billion rail project.
NSW Premier, Nathan Rees, announced last week the formation of the new transport and infrastructure super-agency as part of a restructuring of 160 state agencies into 13 super departments.
Mr Rees said NSW Transport and Infrastructure would take control of all transport and roads coordination, policy and planning functions.
“We need major change in the delivery of transport services in NSW and this new structure will make it happen,” Mr Rees said.
“This is about getting a single direction for transport services and developing a single transport blueprint for NSW.
“It will deliver better coordination of road and public transport services for the community ensuring that infrastructure is built where the greatest need exists.”
Mr Rees said the agency would be the single contact point for Government when it came to transport and roads in NSW.
“The days of Government agencies operating as independent silos are over,” he said.
NSW Transport and Infrastructure will take the lead on all policy and planning functions of the Ministry of Transport, RailCorp, Roads and Traffic Authority, State Transit Authority, Sydney Ferries, the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation and Waterways.
The Victorian Government has released the proposed route of a new road highway in Melbourne’s growing outer northern and western suburbs, with public submissions due by July 17.
Roads and Ports Minister, Tim Pallas, said this week the Outer Metropolitan Ring and E6 Transport Corridor would link Melbourne’s residential and employment growth areas in the north and west, strengthening connections between international transport hubs, the Port of Geelong, interstate and regional destinations.
“This proposed new transport corridor will create road and transport links through the Werribee, Melton, Tullamarine and Craigieburn/Mickleham areas, and from the Metropolitan Ring Road in Bundoora to Donnybrook,” he said.
Mr Pallas said work on the project was not expected to get underway before 2020.
Meantime, Premier John Brumby officially opened the 7.5 kilometre stage three of the Geelong Ring Road project last weekend, six months ahead of schedule.
To date about $618 million has been committed to the Geelong Ring Road project, with the Victorian Government contributing $321.5 million and the Commonwealth Government providing $293 million.
For more information, go to the VicRoads website.
Work is expected to commence next week on the $10.4 million stage three upgrade of the Bruce Highway through Gympie in Queensland.
The work will be undertaken by Civil Mining and Construction Pty Ltd.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, says all up some $70 million is being invested to upgrade the Bruce Highway through Gympie from Centro Way to Pine Street, a busy stretch of road that carries approximately 21,000 vehicles a day including 2,700 trucks.
Stage three works will involve upgrading this section of highway to four lanes including improvements to the Pine, Cross and Jane Street intersections.
The stage three works are expected to be completed by mid-2010, weather permitting.
Meantime, stage one of the $100 million Bundaberg Ring Road project, the 7.4-kilometre section between Goodwood Road and Bargara Road, opened to traffic this week.
Four companies have submitted tenders for the construction of the Lathams Road overpass as part of the Peninsula Link project in Victoria.
According to SEITA, the four companies that submitted tenders by the close-off date earlier this month were:
A contract for the Lathams Road works is expected to be awarded in July with works commencing on site shortly after.
Construction of the new $618 million Kempsey Bypass on the NSW Mid North Coast has moved a step closer with detailed planning and engineering work set to get underway on site this week.
This preconstruction work involves survey and geotechnical investigations, the preparation of detailed designs and the purchase of necessary properties.
The project will see construction of a 14.5 kilometre dual carriageway bypass of Kempsey and includes the construction of a new bridge over the Macleay River and interchanges near South Kempsey and Frederickton.
The existing Pacific Highway will be retained as a local road.
The Bypass was announced in last month's Federal Budget and will be funded from the Federal Government’s Building Australia Fund.
Submitted by Mark Bowmer on Friday June 19th 2009 1:09pm
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