Victoria’s Labor government will spend $10 billion to build the North East Link, which will produce more than 5,000 jobs, the State government has announced.
However, this will only become a reality if the Labor party is re-elected in 2018.
According to ABC News, the Andrews government will not sign any contracts before the next elections to “give voters their say on this vital project without binding future governments”
The proposed North East Link, which is dubbed the “missing link,” will be able to connect the Metropolitan Ring Road and the Eastern Freeway, including outer suburbs between Ringwood and Greensborough.
The $35 million business case that would be developed in 2018, which also include planning approval and tender processes, was announced by the government.
Unfortunately, this decision was in contrast to the previous government, Coalition government, which signed contracts of the “missing link” project before the 2014 elections.
If ever the Andrews government will be re-elected, it vowed “to scrap the project and tore up the contract once in office” and this will cost taxpayers a whopping $1.1 billion.
The North East Link project will take about 10 years to finish with funding from different government tolls and contributions.
“[It’s] connecting the growing northern suburbs of our city together with the western suburbs, the south-east and the east of Melbourne,” Andrews told ABC News.
“In other words, all points of the compass being joined up properly, by building a piece of road that has been talked about for the best part of 50 years.”
Andrews added that the northeast authority will be created to become watchdogs of the project and that the “missing link” will not be “rushed and botched like the Coalition’s East West Link.”
“This is such a big project, an exciting project, a project that’s needed — it’s long overdue — it’s been talked about for decades,” he said.
There will be many people who will benefit from the creation of the “missing link” to connect the Metropolitan Ring Road and the Eastern Freeway. Since this project will produce more than 5,000 jobs, more unemployed citizens can have a source of livelihood.
In addition, once finished, travel for business brokers victoria and their customers will become at ease, making business meetings or transactions easier and meet-ups more efficient.
