PENINSULA LINK PROJECT MOVES AHEAD
15/01/2010
ConnectEast, the owner and operator of EastLink, today welcomed the Victorian Government's announcement of a successful bidder for the delivery of the untolled Peninsula Link.
The Southern Way consortium, comprising Abigroup, Bilfinger Berger and the Royal Bank of Scotland, has been awarded the contract to build and deliver the project.
The 27km road will enable free-flow travel from EastLink's southern end to the Mornington Peninsula Freeway and will generate increased economic and leisure activity in Melbourne's south-east and on the Peninsula. Preliminary works on the $759 million project, expected to create up to 400 jobs during construction, have already started.
ConnectEast Managing Director, Dennis Cliche, said the project, to be delivered under an Availability Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, would underpin current steady traffic growth on EastLink.
“Construction will lead to extra trip demand on EastLink and once completed, Peninsula Link will greatly improve travel times for drivers who are heading to or from Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. The Government says the new road will allow people to travel from Carrum Downs to Mt Martha in just 17 minutes – a saving of up to 40 minutes,” Mr Cliche said.
“The Link is a key component in completing Melbourne’s outer road network and will dramatically relieve local congestion, particularly at peak and holiday times, and enhance road safety in Melbourne’s south-east.”
The Victorian Government projects the combined population in the municipalities of Frankston and Mornington will grow from 260,000 in 2006 to 310,000 in 2031. Traffic on local arterial roads is expected to increase by 25-30 per cent by 2031, with a further 20 per cent increase on weekends and during holiday periods.
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