Assurances given on Range project
CONSTRUCTION of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing remains on schedule to start next year, a senate estimates hearing has heard in Canberra.
Queensland Senator Barry O’Sullivan quizzed officials from the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development about the progress of the project’s registration of interest process, which closed on March 7.
Officials told the Toowoomba-based Senator that the Queensland Government, which oversaw the registration of interest process, had received about 60 applications.
The official said funding arrangements between the Queensland and Federal government had been settled and formal expression of interest documents were expected to be delivered to the applicants as soon as this week.
“The expression of interest process has been held up by the need to settle the funding arrangements between the Australian and the Queensland governments,” the department official told Senator O’Sullivan.
“There are a small number of outstanding issues to be settled, but essentially the Commonwealth Government has made provision in this budget for funding up to $1.2 billion, up to 80 per cent of the identified project cost.
“That has removed one of the issues that were under discussion with Queensland.
“We anticipate the expression of interest documents will go out in the next week or so to interested parties subject to the two governments settling the financial terms.”
The department official said a final contract for the project would be awarded in early-2015 with construction to start soon afterwards.