The notorious Lake George section of the Federal Highway is to be duplicated under a plan announced yesterday by the Minister for Transport, Laurie Brereton.
But the plan has a sting: it is for a tollway, not a freeway.
Mr Brereton said expressions of interest would be sought “”for the construction of a tollway which will partially fund the duplication of the Lake George section of the Federal Highway”.
The section was the last major non-duplicated stretch of the highway between Sydney and Canberra, he said.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from the ACT Government and NRMA.
The ACT Minister for Urban Services, David Lamont, said it was contrary to the concept of free passage and would discriminate against Canberra and its economy. It was the only direct route to Sydney; there were no reasonable alternatives; and there had been no formal consultation about a tollway with the ACT Government or its officials.
He was seeking a meeting with Mr Brereton.
The NRMA said the road should be duplicated a quickly as possible, but it should not be a tollway. Motorists would be paying for the road twice, given the high level fuel excise and other taxes on motorists.
A tollway on part of the national road network would set an unwelcome precedent. When the Sydney-Newcastle road was incorporated in the National Highway System the tolls were removed. If it went ahead it would be the first part of the system to impose a toll.
Four people were killed, 17 severely injured and 17 received lesser injuries in 44 traffic smashes on the 28.4km-section of road in 1992.
The rest of the Federal Highway claimed no lives that year and only three cases of severe injury with a total of 25 smashes. Last year’s figures are not available.
The Road and Traffic Authority said it had not seen the Minister’s statement yet and would comment later.
The Opposition spokesman on transport, John Sharp, said tollways were a major change of the direction for the Government.
“”The Coalition would support the use of toll road funding, provided that viable alternative routes are provided and provided that the Federal Government cuts the level of its outrageous fuel excise taxes,” he said.
To collect $9 billion in fuel taxes and spend an eighth of it on roads was indefensible.
Mr Brereton’s statement on the national transport agenda gave only two paragraphs to Lake George. There was no detail on the precise route, toll estimates or construction timing.
His office said the speech was more agenda- and direction-setting rather than one of details, which would come later. The route had not been decided, but would be decided soon.
Three routes have been considered in the past: next to the lake duplicating the present carriageway; cutting a new carriageway 500 metres from the lake on the escarpment; going western of the escarpment near Gundaroo.
The third route is expensive and would cut back into the existing highway south of some kilometres of existing dual carriageway, making it a white elephant.
The second route, too, is expensive and would involve environmental sensitivities as the escarpment has some outstanding geological features.
The third route is the cheapest and easiest, and has been preferred by the RTA since late 1992. However, a tollway would create a new problem. If the tollway goes over existing road, there is no easy alternative for those who do not want to pay the toll. If either of the other two options are taken, the existing road would be the alternative free route.
The cost of the third route is about $220 million. That compares with the Yass by-pass of $110 and $151 for Cullerin Range between Yass and Goulburn.
About 11,000 cars a day use the Federal Highway. In the skiing season on Sunday nights the single-lane Lake George section becomes a multi-eyed bumper-to-bumper monster.
The road is so bad that in the 1970s General Motors Holden’s (CORRECT) replicated the surface of a couple of the worse kilometres at its proving ground, east of Melbourne, to ensure Holdens can cope with some of the worst conditions on major roads in Australia.
GMH says the Lake George section is not used much now updated facilities have taken over.
Other points in the national plan include:
Private-sector involvement in the construction of Sydney’s new airport at Badgery’s Creek.
A tollway for a new orbital road which will link the national highways in Sydney’s west.
The orbital raod in conjunction with the M5 incorporate a road link between Kingsford Smith and Badgery’s Creek with a corridor for rail later.
Possible privatisation of Melbourne’s Tullarmarine Airport.
Accelerated funding for Melbourne’s Western Ring Road so the Hume-Western Highway link is finished by the end of 1996.
Co-operation with the Victorian Government for the construction of the Domain Tunnel linking the Westgate Freeway with the South-Eastern Arterial.
An environmental impact study on the Albury-Wodonga by-pass with a model and community comment early next year before a corridor is selected.
Mr Brereton said efficient transport was central to the performance of the nation’s economy. His agenda was based on integrating road, rail, air and sea transport and providing competition between and among them.
Part of that required a greater role by the private sector, as evidenced by the tollways and proposal to privatise Tullamarine.
He wanted a partnership of Commonwealth, state and business sectors.
He foreshadowed the sale of other airports.
He also said future ownership of the Australian National Line was under consideration, though the Government’s preference would be for it to be Australian-owned, registered and crewed.
The structure of the Federal Airports Corporation was also under consideration.