U/C: Dukes Highway Duplication

[Howie]

SA will get road funding: PM


Prime Minister John Howard says he is not ignoring South Australia in the election campaign.

Yesterday the Government unveiled a $10 billion roads promise for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with the money coming from the previously-announced Auslink program.

Mr Howard says the Treasurer, Peter Costello, will be in Adelaide today.

"He will be making some further significant announcements about roads," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Costello says the Treasurer will promise $1.5 billion in road funding for South Australia.

The promises will include $80 million for the Dukes Highway, $70 million for the Stuart Highway and $40 million to upgrade the Eyre Highway.

Road Transport Association (RTA) executive director Steve Shearer says federal funding for South Australian roads needs to be at least doubled to cope with the infrastructure projects in the pipeline.

Mr Shearer says the Association has been talking privately with both major parties but there has been little action.

"This state is not getting looked after and its needs are not getting looked after by our federal politicians," he said.

"They need to step up to the plate."

South Australian independent Senate candidate Nick Xenophon says the Federal Government should listen to the RTA and the motoring organisation, the RAA.

Mr Xenophon says both organisations say South Australian roads are in much worse condition than those in the eastern states.

"What needs to happen is that federal law must be changed so that the Commonwealth auditor-general can put the whole road funding process under the microscope and put an emphasis on road safety rather than blatant pork barrelling," he said.

So that's $190m for SA, $600m for Vic??

[Edgar]

I must admit that I am thoroughly confused over the misleading terms we used between the 2 states when it comes to 'Highway' and 'Freeway'.

Some of the road standards in our South Australian state cannot even be considered as 'Freeway', at certain stretches it is not even worth the 'Highway' title.

In Victoria, they have 'Freeway' that truly lives to its title, a broad high-speed highway, where as in SA, it is ridiculously short and pinned to stupid speed.

In regards to the highway connecting Adelaide to Melbourne, I think it is up to the standard, with enough resting points, service stations etc, if you minus the trucks. But when we factor in the 'Road Trains', then, we may need more than that. The highway is too narrow and we need at least an extra lane per direction.

Adding an overtaking lanes every 5-10kms or so does not really help much. When you see a screaming road train driving towards you, you better hold on the steering tight and be prepared to maneuver your car if it gets blown away. During my return driving trip to Melbourne, I have come across or at least seen cars in front of me nearly lose control because of these trucks.

An inch more and they could have kissed side by side and throwing the whole car rolling towards the side dirt. Simple as that. Trucks are build to carry humongous loads not to travel at highspeed with them, I'd even came across trucks that were screaming so hard as the driver tried to overtake me at the speed of 110kmph, the speed limit, can you believe that?

But it is disappointing to hear the funds allocation to improve the roads in South Australia. South Road should be made into freeway, or at least a proper highway standard. Not stuck with a narrow 2-lanes 'road', the only stretch of road in the entire Australia where you see trailers and trucks driving on the outside lane, ridiculous.

[Will409]

On the news, the Federal Government has announced something like $10.1billion to improve the road system in and around the Brisbane/Gold Coast area including the continued construction of a 6km long tunnel, a new ring road if I am not mistaken as well as a couple of other smaller projects. Even if we had say $500million, we could do so much more.

[rogue]

SA will get road funding: PM


Prime Minister John Howard says he is not ignoring South Australia in the election campaign.

Yesterday the Government unveiled a $10 billion roads promise for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with the money coming from the previously-announced Auslink program.

Mr Howard says the Treasurer, Peter Costello, will be in Adelaide today.

"He will be making some further significant announcements about roads," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Costello says the Treasurer will promise $1.5 billion in road funding for South Australia.

The promises will include $80 million for the Dukes Highway, $70 million for the Stuart Highway and $40 million to upgrade the Eyre Highway.

Road Transport Association (RTA) executive director Steve Shearer says federal funding for South Australian roads needs to be at least doubled to cope with the infrastructure projects in the pipeline.

Mr Shearer says the Association has been talking privately with both major parties but there has been little action.

"This state is not getting looked after and its needs are not getting looked after by our federal politicians," he said.

"They need to step up to the plate."

South Australian independent Senate candidate Nick Xenophon says the Federal Government should listen to the RTA and the motoring organisation, the RAA.

Mr Xenophon says both organisations say South Australian roads are in much worse condition than those in the eastern states.

"What needs to happen is that federal law must be changed so that the Commonwealth auditor-general can put the whole road funding process under the microscope and put an emphasis on road safety rather than blatant pork barrelling," he said.

So that's $190m for SA, $600m for Vic??

That comes on top of $1billion South Road funding, $100million Southern Expressway Duplication funding and also extra Northern Expressway funding. Still bugger all after being shortchanged for so long....

[Cruise]

SA will get road funding: PM


Prime Minister John Howard says he is not ignoring South Australia in the election campaign.

Yesterday the Government unveiled a $10 billion roads promise for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with the money coming from the previously-announced Auslink program.

Mr Howard says the Treasurer, Peter Costello, will be in Adelaide today.

"He will be making some further significant announcements about roads," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Costello says the Treasurer will promise $1.5 billion in road funding for South Australia.

The promises will include $80 million for the Dukes Highway, $70 million for the Stuart Highway and $40 million to upgrade the Eyre Highway.

Road Transport Association (RTA) executive director Steve Shearer says federal funding for South Australian roads needs to be at least doubled to cope with the infrastructure projects in the pipeline.

Mr Shearer says the Association has been talking privately with both major parties but there has been little action.

"This state is not getting looked after and its needs are not getting looked after by our federal politicians," he said.

"They need to step up to the plate."

South Australian independent Senate candidate Nick Xenophon says the Federal Government should listen to the RTA and the motoring organisation, the RAA.

Mr Xenophon says both organisations say South Australian roads are in much worse condition than those in the eastern states.

"What needs to happen is that federal law must be changed so that the Commonwealth auditor-general can put the whole road funding process under the microscope and put an emphasis on road safety rather than blatant pork barrelling," he said.

So that's $190m for SA, $600m for Vic??

That comes on top of $1billion South Road funding, $100million Southern Expressway Duplication funding and also extra Northern Expressway funding. Still bugger all after being shortchanged for so long....

But is it all spaced over the next next 12 years?

[frank1]

It is clearly all about votes, but let us not forget that VIC. and NSW has like 3-4 times population as SA, so that means they have like 3-4 times shitty roads e.g. regional, city high ways, tunnels, etc, so in a way the spending is sort of justified. However, SA has needed road + rail upgrades for years and needs alot more money than what both parties are giving.

[crawf]

$1.56bn for SA roads
Article from: The Advertiser

MARK KENNY, POLITICAL EDITOR

November 05, 2007 12:45pm

THE Treasurer has announced $1.56 billion in funding for South Australian roads projects - but denied a funding backflip in response to media pressure.

The money, which comes from the previously budgeted AusLink 2 pool of $22 billion will go towards upgrading several key road projects if the Coalition is re-elected, Peter Costello told journalists in Adelaide this afternoon.

Highlights include $279 million for the Northern Expressway, $120 million to construct the Port Wakefield bypass; $80 million for the Dukes Hwy, $70m for the Sturt Hwy, $64m for a Port Wakefield to Pt Augusta upgrade; $56m towards upgrades on the Stuart Hwy and $40m for the Eyre Hwy.

(Send a message to John Howard and Kevin Rudd to tell them we want South Australian highways fixed. Scroll down and leave your views in the comment box. Remember to include your full name and location. Also, for our verification but not publication, please leave your email address.)

The Dukes Hwy funding will be spent on safety upgrades, road widening, overtaking lanes and pavement reconstruction.

However, the Treasurer's press release lacked detail on how the rest of the money would be spent.

"This is the biggest road and rail investment in South Australia ever, " Mr Costello said.

Mr Costello denied the timing or scope of the commitments had been changed following recent criticism published in today Advertiser that other states had done better out of road funding.

Prime Minister John Howard told Adelaide radio this morning that SA had been well catered for under his government and that the Treasurer would be in Adelaide later today to make a further announcement on roads funding.

Yesterday, just two days after a double fatality on the Melbourne-Adelaide Dukes Highway, Mr Howard, Mr Costello and Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile announced a $10.5 billion roads and rail plan in simultaneous press conferences in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The package, most of which has already been budgeted for under the AusLink program, allows for $3 billion in Sydney, $5.2 billion in south-east Queensland and $2.45 billion in Victoria.

Mr Howard mirrored a Labor promise to upgrade the Melbourne-Adelaide highway but, like Labor, only up to the SA border.

But Mr Howard reiterated this morning said he had not snubbed states which missed out on money in yesterday’s announcement.

“Any suggestion that South Australia, Western Australia or Tasmania is being ignored is nonsense,” Mr Howard told ABC radio in Adelaide.

“It makes sense in the geography to make the announcement about roads in south-east Queensland, Sydney and Victoria on the same day.”

Mr Howard said it was wrong to suggest the coalition had given up on SA, where recent polling suggested the Liberals were losing ground to Labor and would be stripped of the marginal seats of Kingston, Makin and Wakefield.

He said he would be back in Adelaide before the election.

“This notion that we’ve given up on South Australia is complete nonsense,” Mr Howard said.

“I have been to Adelaide already, I went to Adelaide in the election campaign before I went to Victoria.

“We are fighting very hard to hold on to our three highly marginal seats Adelaide of Kingston, Makin and Wakefield.”

Mr Howard’s roads spending spree comes as the latest Galaxy Poll reveals the Coalition remains 8 percentage points adrift of Labor on a two-party-preferred basis, with less than three weeks to go to the election.

Transport lobby groups have singled out roads including the Dukes Highway as in desperate need of upgrade. RAA public affairs manager Sharon Hanlon told The Advertiser $200 million was needed for urgent maintenance on four SA federal roads – the Dukes, Sturt, Stuart and Eyre highways.

[crawf]

I knew it was bs, that SA was going to get snubbed.

I think this is great news, especially about the Port Wakefield Bypass. All up $2.6b has been allocated to SA by the liberals (including South Rd & Southern Expressway upgrades)

[rhino]

$120million for the Port Wakefield by-pass? Isn't the road reserve already there? When you consider what the Northern Expressway is going to cost, starting from scratch and having to buy land, the the Port Wakefield by-pass sounds very expensive indeed.

[Pistol]

If you add up all the promised upgrades that equates to 709 m. So where is the other 850 m going? South Road?

[urban]

Costello said it was the biggest road and rail spending SA had ever seen. Maybe I have missed it, but there doesn't seem to be any rail funding at all.

[Ash-SV6]

There is a press release on the Liberal party outlining all the proposed project funding here - http://www.liberal.org.au/about/documen ... nsport.pdf.

There is $1 Billion for South Rd by 2020, $250 Million of it by 2014. South Rd from the start of the Southern Expressway to Sir Donald Bradman drive will be incorporated in AusLink, with funding having to be matched by the SA Government. The $100 Million towards duplication of the expressway is seperate to the South Rd funding.

Also $165 Million goes towards rail infrastructure, including $120 Million to grade seperate the TransAdelaide and ARTC lines at Goodwood and Torrens Junction. Also $3 Million to investigate constructing an Adelaide Hills bypass.

[skyliner]

Rail need a LOT more. Electrification is needed - this is the third time such an idea has surfaced (last time in 1973). What funding there is, is long over due. Am encouraged to see something significant for the roads in SA however - espevcially when you hear (in QLD) it's the next boom state.

PS - Why develop the highway from Melbourne to Adelaide up to the Vic/SA border - a bit pointed to travellers.

[frank1]

I admit that this is quite impressive, but lets wait and see how Rudd will top this proposal. In either case, upgrades well overdue.

[rogue]

Copied from report:

Key components include :
• $1 billion for South Road by 2020 with $250 million delivered by 2014;
• $100 million for the Southern Expressway as an Non-Network project, with South Australia to pay the remaining costs;
• $279 million to complete the $424 million Northern Expressway project;
• $65 million for New Port Wakefield Road construction;
• $120 million Port Wakefield Bypass;
• $40 million for safety upgrades between Port Wakefield and Adelaide;
• $32.5 million to upgrade Gepps Cross intersection;
• $80 million for the Dukes Highway;
• $40 million for the Eyre Highway;
• $70 million for the Sturt Highway;
• $56 million for the Stuart Highway;
• $64 million to upgrade between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta; and
• $165 million to upgrade South Australia’s Rail connections;
South Australia will also receive an increase in maintenance funds of one third to $196 million over five years.

Interesting. Gepps Cross.....