80-587: East-West Link may refer to: East West Link (Melbourne) East-West Link (Suriname) East-West Link, Brisbane East–West Link Expressway , in Malaysia East West Rail , in England See also [ edit ] Eastlink (disambiguation) Westlink (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
160-596: A business case—to allow an earlier start on stage two. Preliminary work on stage two was to have begun in late 2015. Some $ 500 million of the federal contribution to stage two of East West Link was diverted from commonwealth funds previously allocated to upgrade the Western Ring Road. In February 2015 the federal Auditor-General , Ian McPhee announced he would investigate the Abbott government's decision to commit $ 3 billion for East West Link construction without
240-543: A commitment to start work on the western end of Eddington's overall proposal: building an alternative to the West Gate Bridge—"a new tunnel from Geelong Rd/Sunshine Rd to Dynon Rd/Footscray Rd in the Port of Melbourne precinct." The tunnel, which became known as Westlink, was costed at $ 2.5 billion and Brumby described it as the transport plan's top priority, with construction due to start about 2013. He said plans for
320-525: A day and the Victorian Government estimated the first stage of the new road would be used by 80,000 vehicles a day, travelling in both directions. It said its forecast was more optimistic than that produced by the EWLNA study team. The EWLNA report suggested the project, when complete, would carry more than 150,000 vehicles a day. Eddington's 2008 report dismissed as a "myth" and "misconception"
400-530: A legal challenge to the decision of the Planning Minister, arguing that the approval was invalid and "infected by jurisdictional error" because the planning process had been flawed. In August, the Supreme Court of Victoria set 15 December 2014, two months after the date when construction contracts were expected to be signed, as the starting date for the trial. The Moonee Valley Council joined
480-928: A new transport route linking Melbourne's east and west. The factors included: He said the East West Link would provide a range of benefits: A 2014 report by the Victorian Auditor-General on traffic management noted that two Alexandra Parade intersections, which would benefit from traffic diversion through an east–west tunnel, were among Melbourne's most congested intersections in the morning and evening peaks. They were Alexandra Parade/Queens Parade/Brunswick St, Fitzroy North (sixth most congested intersection in AM peak) and Alexandra Parade/Nicholson St/Princes St, Carlton North (10th most congested intersection in PM peak). The Eastern Freeway carries 140,000 vehicles
560-642: A plan for a second privately financed scheme to link the Eastern Freeway to the Tullamarine, near the start of CityLink. Because the route travelled along sensitive areas including densely populated inner suburbs, the Melbourne General Cemetery and the large Royal Park , it was proposed as a tunnel for its entire length. However, Kennett lost the election later that year , partly due to voter concerns about tolls and delays on
640-653: A range of stakeholders, among them academics, architects, resident action groups, industry groups, local councils, developer lobbies, the Greens, with some strongly opposed to the project in its entirety. Since 2013, the East West Link project has the clear opposition of the Victorian Labor Party and the federal Labor Party, which are the Victorian and federal governments respectively as of October 2024 . The East West Link project attracted criticism from
720-569: A rigorous cost-benefit analysis . East West Link has the ongoing support of the Victorian Liberal Party and the federal Liberal Party, which are the state and federal opposition respectively as of October 2024 . Both state and federal levels of the Coalition have continually advocated for the funding and implementation of the East West Link. Elements of the East West Link project has encountered strident opposition from
800-492: A road, given that the Victorian government's contribution, after the federal government's contribution, after road users' contribution, after the private investors' contribution, was probably only going to be $ 1.5 billion in the first place." A group of federal Liberal MPs from Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs announced in January 2015 it would launch a public campaign, with billboards, advertising and social media, to lobby for
880-577: A small proportion of vehicles now using Hoddle Street were likely to use the tunnel as an alternative if there were no off-ramps to the city, while a report for the government by consulting firm Veitch Lister in July 2013 found that while traffic on parts of Hoddle Street closer to the city would drop by up to 9 percent, the project could cause congestion on Hoddle Street closer to the Eastern Freeway to rise by up to 35 percent by 2021. Melbourne Airport chief executive Chris Woodruff warned that congestion between
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#1732772840795960-786: Is a proposed 18-kilometre tollway in Melbourne , Australia , to connect the Eastern Freeway at Clifton Hill with the Western Ring Road at Sunshine West. The Napthine Coalition Government signed a $ 5.3 billion contract with the East West Connect consortium in September 2014, just prior to the November 2014 state election , to begin construction on the eastern tunnel segment of the project. It became one of
1040-469: Is an urban highway in Melbourne linking CityLink and the Eastern Freeway , itself a sub-section of Hoddle Main Road . Both these names are not widely known to most drivers, as the entire allocation is still best known as by the names of its constituent parts: Hoddle Street , Punt Road and Barkly Street . This article will deal with the entire length of the corridor for sake of completion. The highway
1120-464: Is costly and gives low economic returns." A detailed assessment costed the project at $ 810 million, and found it would substantially reduce traffic on Alexandra Parade, but also noted that only 25% of Eastern Freeway traffic was attempting to bypass the CBD. The government announced in response it would not develop the link "in the foreseeable future." In the following years, Transurban continued to support
1200-611: Is named after the surveyor Robert Hoddle , who planned central Melbourne's Hoddle Grid . Hoddle Main Road starts at the intersection with Queens Parade and High Street in Fitzroy North and heads south as Hoddle Street, crossing Eastern Freeway one kilometre later (and from where the Hoddle Highway declaration officially starts). It continues south until the intersection with Wellington Parade and Bridge Road , changing name to Punt Road. It continues south, passing near
1280-613: Is the only answer. Tens of millions of dollars and years of planning have already been invested to get the project shovel-ready. $ 3 billion from the Commonwealth government remains on the table for any Victorian government which wants to build the East West Link." Despite the cancellation of the project there remains some support for it, either in whole or part, chiefly from the Liberal Party at state and federal level. In October 2015 federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt said
1360-440: The 2006 election approached, the state government refused to commit to any part of the project, and did not include it in a 20-year transport plan released that May. The project became one of the key recommendations of the 2008 East-West Link Needs Assessment report by Sir Rod Eddington . Eddington identified two possible routes to link the Eastern Freeway with Melbourne's western suburbs, both of which formed an alternative to
1440-877: The Melbourne Cricket Ground , under Citylink in Richmond , across the Yarra River via the Hoddle Bridge through the South Yarra district to where St Kilda Road and Dandenong Road meet at St Kilda Junction (where the highway declaration ends). Hoddle Main Road continues south on the other side of St Kilda Junction as Barkly Street through the St Kilda city centre, to eventually terminate at Marine Parade in Elwood . The elimination of
1520-400: The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works . The MMBW report noted "the lack of convenient roads... to make journeys between various suburbs... without travelling towards or through the city centre", and proposed as a solution a series of orbital controlled-access roads at different distances from the CBD. One of these, numbered Route 2, extended from Hoddle Street in the inner north-east to
1600-681: The Road Management Act 2004 granted the responsibility of overall management and development of Victoria's major arterial roads to VicRoads : in 2004, VicRoads re-declared the road as Hoddle Highway (Arterial #6080), beginning at the interchange of Hoddle Street with Eastern Freeway at Clifton Hill and ending at St Kilda Road (Nepean Highway) in St Kilda , while re-declaring the remnants between Clifton Hill and Elwood as Hoddle Main Road (Arterial #5880); as before, all roads are still known (and signposted) as their constituent parts. The Hoddle Street – Punt Road – Barkly Street corridor
1680-645: The 18 km tunnel had been dumped, and that improved public transport to Doncaster would achieve better results for eastern suburban commuters. In July 2010 the Victorian Government established the Linking Melbourne Authority, which investigated a series of route options for the Westlink tunnel project before releasing a preferred route in October 2010. A month later, the Brumby government
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#17327728407951760-486: The 1990s, the state government under Premier Jeff Kennett began its CityLink scheme: a Western Bypass and Southern Bypass, linking the Tullamarine Freeway , West Gate Freeway , and South Eastern Freeway , all of which had converged to "dead ends" in the city centre. The project, conceived as a Build–Own–Operate–Transfer partnership in which a private consortium would pay for the construction and upkeep of
1840-565: The 2013 state Budget should have focused on badly needed rail upgrades. Polls conducted for The Age found Victorians favoured construction of the Metro rail project before the East West Link. A May 2013 poll (which did not reveal the poll sample , sampling method, questions or date of the survey) found 47 percent of voters supported the rail plan, while 43 percent supported the road project. A similar poll of 1000 voters in February 2014 found
1920-564: The Andrews government denied the claim and threatened to pass legislation to overturn compensation provisions in the contract if a compromise could not be reached. Prime Minister Tony Abbott criticised the Andrews government's stance, telling the National Press Club : "Surely, it is the very midsummer of madness to pay $ 1.2 billion not to build a road ... I can't think of anything more crazy than spending $ 1.2 billion not to build
2000-621: The CityLink consortium, by then known as Transurban , publicly stated its interest in building more inner-urban roads, and named a link between the Eastern Freeway and the Tullamarine as one of its preferred options. By 1998, the consortium claimed that the "logical" project had support within the state government, and suggested that work could start immediately following the completion of CityLink, and be supplemented by an "upgrade" of Punt Road and Hoddle Street to complete an "inner ring" of freeways. Then, following his 1999 budget, Kennett announced
2080-463: The Coalition at the 2019 federal election , then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison offered $ 4 billion to build the eastern section of the project and $ 3 billion from the private sector, despite the Labor state government refusing to build the project. After the Coalition lost the 2022 federal election , the new Labor federal Government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed they would not fund
2160-426: The East West Connect consortium to stop work on the project immediately, prompting Infrastructure Australia to abandon an assessment of the full business case for the first stage of the project. In January 2015 the Victorian Government announced it was negotiating with East West Connect on the cost of dissolving the contracts. Speculation rose that the costs of terminating the contracts could pass $ 1.1 billion, but
2240-477: The East West Link was considered a higher priority than removing level crossings, an airport rail link and second underground rail loop. The Herald Sun provided no details on the poll's sampling method, questions or actual results. A further Age poll of 1000 respondents in November 2014 reported 59 percent in favour of the project and 29 percent opposed. Hoddle Highway#Hoddle Street Hoddle Highway
2320-430: The Eastern Freeway would still seek to exit at Hoddle Street and other inner roads to reach their inner-city destinations. "The East West Link will not help them. It will actually make congestion on Hoddle Street worse because it will get more cars on that road faster. It will ultimately cause major social, health and environmental damage," she said. A Victorian Department of Transport briefing prepared for Mulder said only
2400-481: The Eastern and Tullamarine freeways that had been supported by other lobby groups, the council's proposal advocated for a second stage from the Tullamarine interchange to the Western Ring Road at Deer Park. Although it faced immediate criticism from public transport and environment advocates, as well as from within the council, the combined project gained support with other lobby groups and the state government. As
2480-473: The Eastern to the western suburbs along Alexandra Parade. However, the plan's freeway construction program would have required the compulsory acquisition of an enormous number of inner-city properties, and its publication coincided with a swelling of anti-freeway sentiment, led by academics from the University of Melbourne and residents of the inner suburbs. In 1973, under increasing political pressure,
East-West Link - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-495: The Government was committing to fund stage one of the project. In a media release, Napthine said the project would "reduce chronic congestion issues and transform east west travel across Melbourne". The Government pledged to have the design finalised and construction contracts signed by September 2014 to ensure construction was under way in October, before the state election on 29 November. A shortlist of companies tendering for
2640-489: The Government's 30-day East West assessment committee hearings. A meeting to launch the campaign attracted 400 people and the council said it would look at all options, including legal challenges, to stop the tunnel. An online petition against the link attracted more than 1300 names. Yarra Council claimed the tunnel would exacerbate congestion on Hoddle Street , Flemington Road and surrounding streets. Mayor Jackie Fristacky said more than 80 percent of all inbound vehicles on
2720-505: The Metro rail project was viewed as the infrastructure project with the highest priority (42 percent), followed by removing level crossings (27 percent) and the East West Link (24 percent). A November 2013 Age/Neilsen poll of 1000 voters found that 74 percent believed improving public transport was a bigger priority than building the East West Link tunnel. Some 23 percent considered the tunnel a higher priority. A Herald Sun / Seven News poll of more than 2500 Victorians in November 2014 found
2800-744: The State Government should instead have used funds for the Melbourne Metro Rail Project . The decision to start work first on the eastern end of the project was also criticised, with claims that the project's greatest need was to provide an alternative river crossing to the West Gate Bridge. Yarra City Council launched a "Trains Not Toll Roads" campaign in June 2013, to which it committed $ 200,000 from its 2013/14 Budget. It also spent $ 405,000 on legal representation at
2880-422: The Supreme Court action by Yarra and Moreland councils rather than defend the project, thus making the councils' legal challenge more likely to succeed and effectively terminating the project. Andrews said Labor had obtained legal advice that if the court declared invalid the Planning Minister's decision to approve the project, "any contracts entered into will be beyond power and unenforceable". On 29 September 2014,
2960-412: The West Gate Bridge and provided connections to the port and CityLink. He identified a single alignment from the Eastern Freeway to the port area—under Alexandra Parade, Princes Street and Royal Park—and two possible routes from the port to the western suburbs: Both options would include a major interchange in the port precinct. Eddington's report noted that although the sequencing of the full connection
3040-481: The action in November. By August, a third legal challenge to the East West Link was also under way, with Labor's shadow road minister, Luke Donnellan , pursuing the Government in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to force the release of the project business case. In September 2014, state Opposition Leader, Daniel Andrews, said that if Labor won power in the November election it would support
3120-595: The beginnings of Geelong Road and Ballarat Road in the west. The report called it "perhaps the most important of these inner-suburban routes". However, it was the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan , prepared by a committee that included the city's major transport authorities – the MMBW, the Country Roads Board , the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board , the Victorian Railways – which
3200-465: The belief that nearly all Eastern Freeway traffic is destined for the inner city. It said analysis of distribution of Eastern Freeway traffic showed that "around 40 per cent of the daily traffic from the freeway travels beyond the central city area—to the south and the west". The Eddington report also highlighted the "very substantial" and growing west-to-east travel demand, resulting from the imbalance between population growth and employment opportunities in
3280-508: The central issues in the election, and a subsequent change in government led to the project's cancellation at a cost of $ 1.1 billion. The problem of poor "connectivity between Melbourne's Eastern Freeway and CityLink " has since been included in Infrastructure Australia 's list of Australia's 32 "highest priority" infrastructure needs and remains part of long-term state road planning. The project's $ 6 billion first stage
East-West Link - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-470: The chief recommendations of the 2008 East-West Link Needs Assessment report , which warned that steady growth in port freight and population growth was rapidly taking Melbourne roads to capacity. The report's author, Sir Rod Eddington , said an alternative river crossing was also imperative to lessen the city's dependence on the West Gate Bridge , while an additional east–west link was needed to
3440-523: The city and airport could worsen once the East West Link was built unless the Tullamarine Freeway was widened. In its submission to the state government panel on the project, the City of Boroondara also raised concerns that traffic on some streets, including Princess and Asquith Streets and Burke Road, could rise by up to 30 percent. The decision to build the first stage of the East West Link
3520-426: The city's north because of capacity constraints on the congested Monash-CityLink-West Gate corridor. Eddington said the benefits for the city included relieving congestion on Hoddle Street , reducing east–west rat running through suburban streets, assisting north–south traffic flows including public transport, and improving accessibility to city jobs for western suburbs residents. The proposed freeway standard road
3600-401: The city's western suburbs. The Victorian Government estimated the capital cost of stage one of the project would be between $ 6 billion and $ 8 billion and the second stage up to $ 10 billion. The project would be funded as a public-private partnership, with money from the Commonwealth and state governments and the private sector. Toll revenue was expected to partly offset the costs of
3680-535: The declaration of State Highways and Main Roads, roads partially financed by the State government through the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads ). Hoddle Main Road was declared a Main Road on 7 September 1960, from Queens Parade in Fitzroy North , along Hoddle Street through Richmond , along Punt Road through South Yarra , and along Barkly Street to Elwood . Hoddle Main Road (including all its constituent roads)
3760-565: The federal government remained committed to the project, but later that month the Victorian government was told it could use the East-West Link money for other projects. A freeway connection between CityLink and the Eastern Freeway, anticipated to be built by 2046, was included in a blueprint for future metropolitan infrastructure that was contained in the 2016 business case for the Western Distributor project. The report
3840-551: The government led by Premier Rupert Hamer "pruned" the inner-city elements of the planned network; nevertheless, and despite continued public protest, the Eastern Freeway was constructed eastwards from Hoddle Street and opened in 1977. In the aftermath of the Hamer government's concession, leaders of the CRB, which later became VicRoads , urged their planners to continue to advocate for "...the concept of building inner-city freeways." In
3920-410: The government signed a $ 5.3 billion contract with the East West Connect consortium to build the road. However, in the light of the decision by the opposition Labor Party to scrap the project if it was elected, the consortium had been considering abandoning its bid. As a result, the Coalition government provided it with a hastily drafted "side letter" promising that, if the project was not proceeded with,
4000-493: The local councils of Melbourne , Moreland , Yarra and Boroondara , the Public Transport Users Association , Geelong politicians and others, with complaints that it was a misuse of public funds, would fail to alleviate Hoddle Street congestion and would lead to permanent loss of parts of Royal Park . Critics claimed the need for the project was not supported by traffic statistics and that
4080-516: The options for financing the project. While the study was underway, lobby groups including the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and an Infrastructure Planning Council commissioned by the government recommended construction of the link. The Northern Central City Corridor Study released its final report in late 2003. It found that "[a]n east-west tunnel is the only real way of removing through traffic (including trucks) from Royal Park, but it
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#17327728407954160-454: The project and several community groups were formed to block its construction. In 2013, then Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews criticised and campaigned against the project, promising to abandon the project if Labor won government at the 2014 state election . The then Labor opposition said that part of the project's western section may still be built, though not in the government's first term. After winning office and subsequently cancelling
4240-529: The project if it regained power in the 2018 state election and in April 2017 the Lonsdale Consortium, the private operator of the Port of Melbourne, said the entire western section of the East West Link would be needed "in the short to medium term" to overcome road congestion. In his East West Link Needs Assessment report, Eddington said the study team had identified a long-term, strategic need for
4320-415: The project over the long term. A total of $ 224 million was allocated in the 2013–14 state budget for procurement for the first stage, with a further $ 70 million to follow in 2014–15. The Abbott Federal Government pledged $ 1.5 billion towards stage one during the 2013 federal election campaign and in April 2014 agreed to contribute another $ 1.5 billion—conditional on the Victorian government providing
4400-551: The project to Lewis Construction Co. Pty. Ltd., estimated to cost A£ 240,000. Work commenced in February 1956, with the southern portion open to traffic in April 1957, and the remaining sections, including the ramps leading to and from Hoddle Street, opening several weeks later in May 1957. The passing of the Country Roads Act of 1958 (itself an evolution from the original Highways and Vehicles Act of 1924 ) provided for
4480-681: The project was challenged in the Supreme Court of Victoria , with the claim that the government had made "misleading representations" about the benefits of the project. The court dismissed the challenge on 10 September 2014. On 30 June, planning Minister Matthew Guy announced he had approved the project with some modifications, deleting the Elliott Avenue interchange and instead including access to Flemington Road. The change would spare much of Royal Park grounds. A month later, Yarra Council voted to join with Moreland Council and issue
4560-479: The project, and that the funding "set aside" by the previous Government did not exist. Funding was instead committed to the proposed Suburban Rail Loop rapid transit system. As of 2024, the Coalition both in federal and state Opposition remain committed to building the East West Link if elected. A proposal for a freeway network in the inner north of Melbourne first emerged in a 1954 strategic plan prepared by
4640-454: The project, the new Labor government initially proposed its West Gate Distributor as a lower-cost port link for heavy freight vehicles, but in early 2015 unveiled plans by infrastructure company Transurban to build the multibillion-dollar West Gate Tunnel project as a more expansive route, providing a second major river crossing and a partial western bypass in the city's inner west. This alternative project began construction in early 2018 and
4720-580: The railway crossing at the Clifton Hill railway gates, where Heidelberg-Eltham Road (known today as Heidelberg Road) crossed the Hurstbridge and Whittlesea (now Mernda ) railway lines and then Hoddle Street, was approved by the Victorian government on 19 May 1955, instructing the Country Roads Board (later VicRoads ) to proceed with the construction of a road overpass. The Board contracted
4800-573: The remainder of the CityLink project. The new ministry under Premier Steve Bracks did not immediately commit to a position on the Eastern–Tullamarine link. Instead, it directed the Department of Infrastructure to conduct a Northern Central City Corridor Study to examine options for transport in the area, including the possibility of a tunnel along the entire route. However, Bracks had promised in opposition not to build toll roads, limiting
4880-545: The road's construction and in April two federal MPs from Geelong, Sarah Henderson and Andrew Katos , launched a "Just Build It" campaign and petition, claiming that stage two of the project should be fast-tracked for the sake of jobs and the Geelong economy. Katos said the "shovel-ready" East West Link would remove 50,000 vehicles a day from the West Gate Bridge compared with 5000 if the West Gate Distributor
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#17327728407954960-503: The road, was to have a significant impact on the structure of the city's transport network, as existing roads were regulated to encourage traffic on to the new tollways for the benefit of the consortium. Critics of the scheme argued that it was a full-scale revival of the 1969 plan, but political opposition proved insufficient to unseat the Kennett government at the 1996 election , and so it went ahead. In 1997, with construction underway,
5040-603: The road, which it called the Northern Tunnel, and argued it should be completed in tandem with a second crossing of the Yarra River , which it said was necessary to take pressure off the West Gate Bridge . Then, in 2005, an infrastructure strategy prepared by the City of Melbourne adopted the East–West Integrated Transport Proposal, codenamed "the Big Idea". In addition to the tunnel between
5120-421: The state government would compensate the consortium to the extent that it was no worse off financially. Consequently, if Labor won the forthcoming election and abandoned the project, the state would be forced to make a payout of hundreds of millions of dollars to the consortium. A week before the November election, Andrews said an "East West Link-type connection" could still be built under a Labor government if it
5200-493: The title East-West Link . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=East-West_Link&oldid=1239761189 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages East West Link (Melbourne) The East West Link
5280-499: The transport network, to meet rapidly increasing travel demand, to support a growing population and to keep pace with the changes taking place in the city's economic and urban structure." Releasing the report, Premier John Brumby said he was neither "ruling anything in nor ruling anything out" among Eddington's 20 key proposals. In December 2008 the Brumby Labor government released its Victorian Transport Plan , which included
5360-435: The work was released in late September 2013. They were: The companies submitted their bids for the work in April 2014, three months before the conclusion of a community consultation process. In June 2014, Momentum abandoned its bid, claiming the geotechnical risks associated with building the tunnel were "not acceptable", leaving only East West Connect and Inner Link in the bidding race, and, in September, East West Connect
5440-502: Was a decision for government, he believed the most urgent need was the section from the inner west to the port, providing an alternative to the West Gate Bridge—"a tunnel under, or a bridge over, the Maribyrnong River, connecting to a northern bypass of the city." He concluded: "The evidence is clear: doing nothing is not an option. Melbourne needs better east-west transport connections to address core congestion problems within
5520-561: Was commissioned by Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance and prepared by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers using information on the future transport network provided by the Department of Economic Development, Transport, Jobs and Resources. The route was also identified by Infrastructure Australia in a 2016 report as one of Australia's 32 "highest priority" infrastructure needs because of rising east–west traffic congestion problems. The Victorian Liberal opposition pledged to restart
5600-460: Was criticised as a misuse of public funds that should have been spent on public transport. Fristacky said the project would deprive Melbourne of billions of dollars that were needed for the construction of the Melbourne airport railway , Doncaster railway line , Rowville line , Melbourne Metro and the Mernda rail extension . Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said the project would not solve Melbourne traffic problems and that
5680-475: Was defeated and replaced by the Ted Baillieu -led coalition government; in January 2011 new Transport Minister Terry Mulder announced the Labor government Transport Plan had been shelved, with all its recommendations to undergo re-evaluation. In May 2012 the Baillieu government was reported to be "red hot" about making a start on the project, which would rival CityLink and the railway City Loop in its scope. On 7 May 2013, new Premier Denis Napthine announced
5760-741: Was designated in the 1969 Melbourne Transportation Plan as the F2 Freeway. Part of the F2 Freeway would have connected St Kilda Junction to the Metropolitan Ring Road at the Hume Freeway (Craigieburn Bypass), via the Hoddle Highway and Merri Creek. In 1987, Hoddle Street was the site of a deadly shooting spree known as the Hoddle Street massacre . The perpetrator, 19-year-old army recruit Julian Knight , killed seven people and injured 19 others during his rampage. He
5840-433: Was eventually built. On 15 April 2015 the government announced the road project would not proceed and said it had reached agreement with East West Connect to pay the consortium $ 339 million to cover costs it had incurred to that point. Andrews said the government had acquired the consortium for $ 1. The decision was condemned by Abbott as "reckless" and said Victorians would suffer as a result. Abbott said: "The East West Link
5920-410: Was named as the sole preferred bidder. Geotechnical drilling of the route began in May 2012 but, in late September 2013, the drilling began to be disrupted by protesters. Picketing continued in 2014, with protesters targeting one of the 16 drilling sites each day. According to the State Government policing costs as result of the protests amounted to $ 1.6 million by late January 2014. In April 2014,
6000-607: Was originally expected to be complete in 2022. However, due to financial difficulties and lengthy delays, the West Gate Tunnel will open from 2025. In November 2017, the Coalition Opposition in Victoria, led by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy , pledged to build the former project combined with the proposed North East Link if it won government at the 2018 state election . Following an upset victory for
6080-472: Was planned as a 4.4 km tunnel from Hoddle Street, Clifton Hill to CityLink at Parkville , due for completion by early 2020. Work on the second stage, the western section between Parkville and the Western Ring Road, was expected to commence in late 2015 and be completed by 2023. The project's total cost was estimated at $ 15 to $ 17 billion. The road project was proposed in 1999 by then Premier Jeff Kennett , but gained prominence when it became one of
6160-525: Was recommended by Infrastructure Victoria, an independent advisory board Labor planned to set up if it won government. The day after Labor's win in the 2014 state election, Andrews confirmed that the East West Link would be abandoned in favour of its $ 300 million alternative, the West Gate Distributor . However, the government left open the option of proceeding with the western section of the original road plan. On 12 December Andrews ordered
6240-708: Was signed as Metropolitan Route 29 between Fitzroy North and Elwood in 1965. The passing of the Transport Act of 1983 updated the definition of State Highways. Hoddle Highway was declared a State Highway by VicRoads in September 1994 within Hoddle Main Road, from Victoria Street in Richmond to the St Kilda Junction in St Kilda , later extended north to the interchange with Eastern Freeway in January 1995; all roads were known (and signposted) as their constituent parts. The passing of
6320-414: Was to have the greatest impact on the design of the city's freeway network. The plan, based on American planning practices, envisaged a vast system of freeways connected with new and widened arterial roads at a total length of more than 900 kilometres (560 mi) and a cost of over A $ 2.2 billion. Among the roads proposed were the Eastern Freeway from the suburbs to the inner north, and a connection from
6400-623: Was to start at the Western Ring Road at Laverton North , connect with Market Road, Brooklyn , then descend into two separate three-lane tunnels at Kingsville , to link with the Eastern Freeway. On-ramps and off-ramps were expected to be provided near Dynon Road, Footscray for port access, and at its junction with CityLink and the Eastern Freeway. The project attracted public criticism over its effectiveness to reduce congestion, prioritisation ahead of public transport, transparency of business case and local effect on Royal Park and Melbourne Zoo . Local councils and public transport advocates opposed
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