The Pennant Street Bridge at Cardiff will no longer go ahead after the NSW government announced it's back to square one for Lake Macquarie Interchange designs.
In this week's state budget, $360,000 was allocated to the planning of the Interchange, despite previous talks dating back 20 years.
Lake Macquarie Council has predicted the benefits of the current designs exceeded the costs by four to one.
However Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot MacDonald said Transport NSW is disputing those projections.
"Transport and Infrastructure for NSW didn't agree that it was suitable, didn't agree it represents value for money for the tax payer...we're at the stage of preparing another business case," Mr MacDonald said.
"We didn't feel that [The Pennant Street Bridge] was the best design," he said, "it didn't achieve what we wanted to see in terms of activation of that area or protection for pedestrians...on a number of levels it just wasn't suitable."
However, the Parliamentary Secretary hasn't declared the project dead in the water.
"It's an ongoing process," he said, "and we're certainly not walking away from the idea that area would benefit from activation and better transport linkages."
The announcement has come as a shock to Lake Macquarie Council and the two MPs whose electorates border the Interchange.
Wallsend MP, Sonia Hornery listed the project as number 1 on her state budget wish list and says she wants to know where the justification for this design shake-up is coming from.
"It comes as a big surprise that all of a sudden the government have a different position on the Glendale Interchange," she said.
"All of us have been working very hard on this project which will ease some of the gridlock which is increasing between Glendale and Newcastle," she continued, "it's a project that 11 Hunter Mayors unanimously support as a top priority."
Sonia Hornery said she's "really disappointed" and believes the Hunter is being ignored by the Liberal National Government due to our high number of Labor-held seats.
Lake Macquarie Independent MP, Greg Piper is a little more optimistic.
He's still confident the Interchange will go ahead in years to come, citing the government's $360,000 investment into planning and a brief conversation with the Transport Minister this morning as reason to believe it'll be built one day.
"As Mayor at Lake Macquarie City Council, I saw the modelling for the work, I saw the opportunities this would bring about," Mr Piper said, "I would imagine if this government doesn't proceed with it at this stage, they may well proceed with something similar to it."
However, the MP can't confirm anything due to the "unusual" process by which he and Council found out about Scot MacDonald's comments.
"The Council and local members have become aware of some apparent change in thinking not through any formal channels but through a discussion between the Parliamentary Secretary and a Newcastle Herald journalist.
"It's a very unusual way to find out about change on a project that so many have been in involved in for so many years," he concluded.
 |
| Image: LakeMac Today. |
