Quicker trip means more time for family

Easing road bottlenecks will help the booming south-east, says Rene Hidding

Tasmania is in a much better place since the election of the Hodgman Liberal Government with more than 10,000 new jobs created, our economy booming, and population growing at the fastest rate since 2011, with the South-East in particular enjoying its share of the growth.

While this is great news for the state, we know that our road infrastructure must be upgraded to keep up with demand and ensure Tasmanians are able to get home quicker and spend more time with their families.

That is why a re-elected majority Hodgman Liberal Government has an eightyear vision to reduce congestion and travel time to Sorell and the Southern Beaches, with six early specific projects identified and prioritised for implementation to keep pace with one of Tasmania’s fastest-growing areas.

This includes $55 million worth of key projects leading up to the duplication of the Sorell causeways and McGees Bridge that will transform the link between the Tasman Bridge and the township of Sorell into four lanes the entire way.

This follows on from the exciting announcement that a re-elected majority Hodgman Liberal Government will carry out a $25.5 million total rebuild of the Sorell School which will also reduce traffic congestion given the number of parents choosing to currently bypass the school, adding to traffic problems.

We are a government that listens and acts on community concerns, and this is a game changer for all who commute between Hobart and Sorell and the surrounding areas that are continuing to grow.

A comprehensive planning study will be completed in the first years of a re-elected majority Hodgman Liberal Government to provide recommendations on the best way to duplicate the Sorell causeways.

This will take place alongside the soon-tocommence $30 million airport roundabout rebuild, followed shortly after by works to the Midway Point roundabout and other crucial projects.

The construction of the southern Sorell bypass will mean residents east of Sorell will be able to avoid travelling through the crowded Sorell township, instead directly connecting the Arthur Highway to the Southern Beaches and Tasman Peninsula.

The $55 million package of early projects is exactly what the people of Sorell and the surrounding areas need right now, as well as the preparation of more projects to ensure the area keeps pace with projected future growth, and only a reelected majority Hodgman Liberal Government will deliver it.

Importantly, this work can only be done because of our strong budget management since coming to office.

The budget is back in the black and projected to remain in surplus across the entire next term of government, which means these projects are already fully funded and ready to go upon the reelection of the Hodgman Government.

It’s a stark comparison to the dark days of the former Labor-Green government who trashed the budget and had deficits as far as the eye could see.

This meant that infrastructure and muchneeded road funding had ground to a complete halt right across the state, and if another Labor-Green minority government is elected, there is no doubt at all that they will do it again.

Only a strong majority Liberal Government has a vision for Sorell, the Southern Beaches and beyond, and if reelected we will deliver it.