The first Budget delivered by the new State Labor Government has devastating impacts for Pittwater and the Northern Beaches.
Significantly, Labor has cancelled the $340 million widening of Mona Vale Road West from the Baha’i Temple to Kimbriki Tip. There is not a cent in the Budget to deliver the project, nor is there a cent in the forward estimates. One must ask the question, if Pittwater shared postcodes with Peakhurst or Punchbowl, would this project have been canned?
Locals will know that the $250 million widening of Mona Vale Road East from Ingleside to Mona Vale is nearing completion. This upgrade came after dozens of near and fatal accidents. The most tragic incident occurred on 5 June 1998 when an out-of-control truck killed 48-year-old Silverio Garcia before careering into a home on Emma Street, instantly killing 13-year-old Nicole Everson. Nicole would have been nearly 40 years old today.
There have been countless accidents before and since. Following 16 years of the Carr-Iemma-Rees-Keneally Governments from 1995-2011, the Liberal Government planned the project and delivered it. Mona Vale Road East will shortly be the gold standard.
But Mona Vale Road East is only a part of the solution. Mona Vale Road West, from Baha’i Temple to Kimbriki Tip remains a dangerous goat track from a bygone era. This year alone, there have been at least nine serious crashes on this stretch. Lives continue to be put at risk. With every crash, Mona Vale Road is closed for hours, causing chaos on our roads. Locals kept from their loved ones – stuck in traffic.
The former Liberal Government invested $17 million doing the studies, planning the works, and getting the widening of Mona Vale Road West shovel ready. You might ask, “why hasn’t the project been done already?” And that’s a fair question. The reality is, and was, that the former Liberal Government had so many major infrastructure projects underway at the same time, there was simply no available major project contractors to do the work.
In the 2022-23 Budget, with completion of Mona Vale Road East nearing, the West upgrade was fully funded to the tune of $340 million. Millions have already been spent on preparatory works.
The widening of Mona Vale Road West is lifesaving, congestion busting, and it’s shovel ready. The Labor Government’s failure to continue the project is an indictment. If life is lost on this stretch of road, and I sincerely hope it is not, a part of the blame must be on the Labor Government’s decision to cancel the project. Rather than funding projects on merits and need, it seems that postcodes are more important to this Government than good policy.
Rather than sit back and whinge, we must act. We must show the Government the depth of support for this project.
Sign my petition to the Government here.
Together we can advocate for this project and send the Government a clear message.