Qld: Funding black hole holding up bypass, says Oppn

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2004
Qld: Funding black hole holding up bypass, says Oppn

BRISBANE, April 19 AAP - Moves to get the Gold Coast's Tugun bypass built had stalled
because of a $100 million black hole in funding, Queensland opposition Leader Lawrence
Springborg said today.

The state and federal governments had promised a total of $240 million for the road
project, but the NSW government believed the true cost was $340 million.

Mr Springborg said today documents obtained under Freedom of Information showed the
NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) had withheld its consent for a development application
because it believed there was a $100 million funding gap.

There had been no word on a funding shortfall from Premier Peter Beattie, or the current
and previous transport ministers in Queensland, he said.

"All the way along they were seeking to blame the NSW government and environmental
issues when quite clearly the major concern which was held by the RTA was an issue of
funding and inadequate funding from the Queensland government," Mr Springborg told reporters.

"The environmental issue was an excuse because the EIS (environmental impact statement)
was never conducted.

"The EIS has only come to the fore in November of last year.

"It was not a serious concern of the NSW authorities towards the latter stage of the year."

Queensland and NSW are at loggerheads over the proposed route of the cross-border bypass
on the Gold Coast which would fix one of Queensland's worst traffic gridlocks.

Queensland's preferred bypass route running west of the Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta
has been blocked by the NSW government on environmental grounds.

Another route requiring the resumption of 14 homes in Tugun has been rejected by federal
Transport Minister John Anderson.

AAP rad/sc/jv/jlw/

KEYWORD: TUGUN

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