Consultants cash in
ONE million dollars from the Hobart City Deal funding pool will go to a consultancy to progress solutions to the city’s traffic congestion.
Sydney firm WSP Australia has won the $1.09 million contract as part of the Hobart Transport Vision — Southern Projects.
Information on the contract says it is “aimed at developing an integrated multi-faceted approach to manage peak demand traffic flow on the Southern Outlet and into the central business district”.
The contract follows the awarding of a $762,000 contract to consultants GHD for a feasibility study into a possible western bypass of the city.
In October, Austraffic won a $59,000 contract for an origin-destination survey on the Southern Outlet.
Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said the recent contract awarded to WSP Australia would ensure community consultation on the Southern Outlet transit lane, bus priority measures on Macquarie and Davey Streets, and concept designs for a Park and Ride in Kingborough.
In another traffic-related consultancy, Pitt and Sherry have been awarded $246,834 to conduct a planning study for stage three of South Arm Highway/Rokeby Main Rd upgrade.
A State Government spokeswoman said the study would assess and recommend future options to upgrade the corridor between Pass Road and Acton Road.
Shadow Infrastructure Minister Shane Broad said the Liberals appeared to have no plan to resolve Hobart traffic congestion other than to hire consultants.
“For a Government that has publicly committed to cutting back on consultants, they continue to spend a huge amount of taxpayers’ money on consultancies,” Dr Broad said.
“We’ve had one consultant after another benefiting from the indecision and inaction of Will Hodgman and Michael Ferguson. We’ve already paid more than $750,000 to have a consultant tell us a fifth lane was technically possible for Hobart’s Southern Outlet.
“Now we see a tender awarded for yet another consultant to have a look at the Southern Outlet. This time taxpayers are spending $1 million. Have the Liberals decided they don’t like the first advice they got?”