A new lane that is set to be built on Hobart’s Southern Outlet will be ‘significantly’ over its projected multi-million-dollar price tag and will cause traffic chaos, Labor is claiming.
The opposition say the project carries additional risks, including increased delays for emergency services, a high likelihood of rockfalls and is already facing a ‘substantial funding shortfall.’
“Every Hobart commuter needs to understand this will impact them,” Labor Leader and shadow Infrastructure Minister Rebecca White MP said.
“From Glenorchy, Clarence and of course Kingborough and the Huon – if this project goes ahead it will create chaos for you, your work and your family. Lane closures, gridlock and hours wasted in the car over up to four years.”
White believes the closure of one southbound lane on Davey Street for up to eight months during construction will cause “traffic chaos” that will impact the entire city.
“[A] consultant report shows the project taking between three to four years to complete and … outlines delays to outbound traffic on both the Southern Outlet and Tasman Bridge resulting in overlapping queues on Davey and Macquarie streets, creating gridlock in and around the CBD,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson insists the project to link Hobart and its southern suburbs is the only solution for improving traffic flow.
“Their whinging does nothing to help the 60,000 Tasmanians who live in Kingborough and the Huon Valley and who rely on their Government to provide the transport capacity they need,” Ferguson said.
“The first stage of the project is about to begin with night works to remove parking on Davey and Macquarie streets to ease the pressure on these key connectors … It’s been far from easy, but we have to do it.”
Although Ferguson insists construction will mostly be undertaken at night and outside of peak periods, Labor is calling for the project to be scrapped and alternative solutions like a ferry system to be considered to ease traffic congestion on the highway.
“This project is complete madness … It should be stopped,” White said.
The Southern Outlet carries over 36,000 vehicles each day and up to 1,800 to 2,400 every hour during peak periods.
