Eight-year lag for Sorell traffic fix

THE bulk of the $130 million in Federal Government spending promised for the roads between Hobart and Sorell will be delayed until after the next federal election, it has been revealed.

Labor MP for Lyons Brian Mitchell said the Coalition committed to spend the money on road upgrades along the corridor, but documents tabled at Senate Estimates revealed $90 million of it won’t be spent until between 2022 and 2027.

Mr Mitchell said the revelation followed months of stonewalling by the Government on exactly how and where the money was to be spent. He condemned the slow rollout of the pre-election promise, made in April.

“RACT members recently labelled the Sorell-Hobart corridor as the worst stretch of road in the state,” he said.

“Commuters who get stuck on that corridor every day need it fixed now, not in 2027.

“Sorell’s population increased 12.5 per cent between 2011 and 2017 and we expect to see another 2000 people live in the area over the next four years.

“The road network is simply not keeping up and these delays are making life a misery for road users.”

Also yesterday, state Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said he was confident the Bridgewater Bridge replacement would be completed by 2024.

“There’s way too much politics being played around this vital piece of infrastructure,” he said. “It’s now fully funded as a result of the federal election, and we’re cracking on with the work program to deliver it. The work of building it is now in train and the work program established.”

Questions were raised about the progress of the bridge — and about a $20 million cost blowout for the Hobart Airport Roundabout — in Senate Estimates hearings in Canberra this week.

The Federal Government has pledged a $530 million roads package for Tasmania, the bulk of which is focused on the North-West and is funded in the 2018-19 budget.