Federal assistant infrastructure minister says trucking industry is “happy to pay” to help fund Perth freight link
Trucking operators will likely be called upon to help fund the $1.6 billion Perth freight link through the introduction of a heavy vehicle toll.
Western Australia Transport Minister Dean Nadler has confirmed work has started on looking at how the trucking industry can fund part of the construction costs of the $1.6 billion project that is designed to improve access between the Port of Fremantle and Kewdale.
The Federal Government has pledged $925 million to the link, with Western Australia chipping in $230 million.
Federal Assistant Infrastructure Minister Jamie Briggs says the private sector will be asked to contribute the remaining portion and that transport operators will support paying to use the route.
“We’re getting expert advice from independent agencies, but obviously when you’re involved in the private sector they expect a return and usually transport companies are happy to pay if it means they’re getting more effective and efficient access to the port and along the freight line,” Briggs says.
The freight link is expected to involve a 5km extension of the Roe Highway from the Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road in Coolbellup and improvements to Stock Road and High Street.
Some works are due to start this year, while construction activities on the extension and improvements to Stock Road will begin in mid-2015. The link is expected to open to traffic by the end of the decade.
Nadler says the West Australian Government will work with the trucking industry to determine how it can contribute to the completion of the freight corridor, adding that “we’re going to look to industry to fund a portion of this infrastructure”.
Premier Colin Barnett earlier this month flagged the introduction of a toll on heavy vehicles as a viable option, as Fairfax reported.
“We can see merit in some system of charging heavy vehicles,” Barnett says.
Federal Finance Minister Mathias Corman has indicated charges on the industry may be necessary to help bankroll big-ticket infrastructure projects into the future.
“If we want to be able to make these significant investments in building a stronger, more prosperous economy into the future, delivering benefits for industry, then it is only fair that industry helps us achieve the delivery of those projects,” he says.
Once complete, the Perth freight link is expected to reduce travel times by up to 16 minutes.
The Federal Government believes the link will significantly reduce heavy vehicle traffic on the Kwinana Freeway between the Roe and Leach highways and also on the Leach Highway east of Stock Road.
However, it will also lead to the expansion of heavy vehicle restrictions.
Trucks greater than 19 metres in length are currently banned from using the Leach Highway east of Kwinana Freeway to the Albany Highway and from South Street east of the freeway to the Roe Highway.
The ban will be extended to the Leach Highway east of Stock Road when the Perth freight link opens.