Opposition from mayors to the planned Westconnex project will have little impact, with the New South Wales Government declaring it will go ahead with or without their support.
Opposition from mayors to the planned Westconnex project will have little impact, with the New South Wales Government declaring it will go ahead with or without their support.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay made the declaration after an inner west council announced a $20,000 campaign to stop Westconnex from proceeding.
The 33km road project involves widening the M4 motorway east of Parramatta, duplicating the M5 and building new sections of motorway to link Sydney’s west with the airport and Port Botany.
“We will continue to work with the professional officers on councils and the local community but we will not waste time on mayors who don’t want to work with us,” Gay says.
“Let there be no doubt, construction of stage one of Westconnex will start in early 2015.”
Gay says the Government has already had more than 20 meetings with councils in western Sydney and held more than 40 information sessions with the community since September.
“Those mayors that are considering wasting ratepayers’ money to fight Westconnex are also wasting their time and are out of touch with every single Sydneysider who wants us to fix Parramatta Road,” he says.
“The only way to solve the issues surrounding Parramatta Road is with WestConnex – including the tunnel to be built under Parramatta Road that will take 3,000 trucks a day out of their communities.”