By Kyra Gillespie
Labor has almost tripled the spending promise of the Liberal Party, pledging over $200 million to upgrade Racecourse Road in Pakenham as the battle for one of the state’s most marginal seats heats up in the lead up to the federal election.
Following a visit from Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week, where he unveiled a $70 million upgrade of Racecourse Road in Pakenham, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten made an appearance alongside Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday 24 March, pledging to almost triple Mr Morrison’s Racecourse Road commitment.
Under Mr Morrison’s “congestion-busting“ package, Racecourse Road would be duplicated between the Princes Freeway and Henry Street; an additional bridge would be constructed over the Princes Freeway, and the roundabout linking Racecourse Road and Bald Hill Road would be replaced with traffic lights.
During the visit to Racecourse Road on Thursday 21 March, Mr Morrison told the Gazette it would, “solve the congestion headache problem for the more than 20,000 motorists who use this route every day.“
La Trobe Liberal MP Jason Wood said the funding, which will come from last year’s federal budget, is guaranteed whether the Coalition wins the May election or not.
“It’s there in the budget now,“ Mr Wood said.
“We’re going to need the state government to bring Skyrail forward so everything can be done at the same time. It has to be done now.”
The Liberal Party’s upgrade doesn’t cover the entirety of Racecourse Road; the road will only be duplicated up to Henry Street, meaning the section of road from Henry Street to the Princes Highway will remain single-laned, pushing the bottle neck further up the thoroughfare.
Under Mr Shorten’s plan, the entirety of Racecourse Road will be duplicated, from the freeway to the highway.
Labor has not yet outlined specifics on the upgrade – what will happen with the problematic Racecourse Road and Bald Hill Road roundabout – but La Trobe Labor candidate Simon Curtis said that would be revealed concluding the tendering process.
“We want it done properly and we want the best solution that will complement the level crossing removal,“ Mr Curtis said.
“We believe that to do it properly it will require more than $200 million; the Liberal Party’s $70 million is only a drop in the ocean for what’s needed for this.“
Mr Shorten has also promised $2 million, matched by the state government, for an extra 50 car spaces for at Officer train station.
“We have a different plan to the Liberals; we will duplicate Racecourse Road from the highway to the freeway, then all the way to Manks Road,“ Mr Curtis continued.
“The Liberal Party’s plan fell a long way short for what locals need; everyone who lives in the area and who uses these roads daily knows that we need infrastructure that requires long-term thinking, not a short band-aid solution.
“We don’t want to create more congestion with an unsuitable plan.“
Racecourse Road runs right through the La Trobe electorate, a seat held by Liberal MP Jason Wood by a margin of around 1.5 per cent following recent boundary re-distributions.
Labor pledge the project would be done by 2025 in conjunction with the level crossing removals and duplication of Healesville-Kooweerup Road from the Princes Freeway to Manks Road.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Graeme Moore has welcomed the competition between the major parties; “They’re getting some things done here for a change,“ he said.
“I think it’s a great result; taking the duplication right to the highway is a good idea – they will just have to get VicRoads approval,“ Cr Moore said.
“My preference would be to see an overpass where Racecourse Road runs under Bald Hill Road and the rail bridge – that would make more sense to me. It would alleviate all the problems by allowing the free flow of traffic.
“When Pakenham East is developed there will be no direct entry for them onto the freeway, and no rail connection, so Racecourse Road has to be upgraded. Traffic lights would still lead to congestion, so taking them out would be a better idea. But something is better than nothing.
“I’m not an engineer, but common sense tells me that’s the best thing to do. Being in a seat that becomes a bit competitive does achieve things for our community.“
