Farmers have warned the decision to shelve what was to be Australia’s longest tunnel through the Blue Mountains could lead to higher food prices.
Key points:
- The 11-kilometre tunnel through the Blue Mountains would have been the longest in Australia
- A tunnel was proposed by the previous NSW government in 2019
- The project has been shelved due to the multi-billion price tag and a review of infrastructure projects
The 11-kilometre tunnel between Blackheath and Mount Victoria was announced by the former Coalition state government in 2019.
NSW Labor had made clear during its election campaign in March that it would pause the project and it was officially put on ice in last week’s state budget.
“The road over the Blue Mountains is one of our major logjams,” NSW Farmers Business, Economics and Trade committee chair John Lowe said.
“A tunnel would have sped up efficiency between producers in western NSW and Sydney and would have had significant fuel savings and wear and tear on trucks.”
Mr Lowe said the Great Western Highway stretch through the mountains was dangerous for trucks and can often be closed by crashes, or slowed by congestion.
He said the issues with the highway impact on transport costs which are a factor in the price consumers pay for produce in the supermarkets.
“While I’d love to think a tunnel would bring down the price of food, it may have slowed the rise of food prices that we’re all paying.”
Uncertainty for locals
While Blue Mountains locals don’t doubt a tunnel would solve a number of issues, including frequent crashes and congestion, it’s feasibility remains a hot topic.
First announced by the Coalition government in 2019, the tunnel was part of a multi-billion-dollar upgrade of the highway.
However, the cost to build the tunnel has ballooned, with recent estimates putting it at more than $11 billion.
Little Hartley resident Scott Leonard lives and runs a business alongside the highway and describes the tunnel as the “missing part of the jigsaw”.
“Every week there’s an accident or a breakdown which closes the highway…it’s third world stuff,” he said.
“It’s a joke the tunnel isn’t being built … it needs to be done and it needs to be done today.”
Project ‘on pause’
The tunnel project was always reliant on funding from both the state and federal governments.
The federal government would need to pick up the majority of the funding however a spokesperson for the Minister for Transport and Regional Development, Catherine King said it was currently considering a review of infrastructure projects.
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said the tunnel was not a priority.
“We want to fix the roads that people are using everyday that are really struggling, and we will work with the community about how we go forward on the Great Western Highway,” she said.
“Even the former government had said if there was no federal funding they would not have the capacity to fund it.
“In the meantime, the project is on pause … and we need to make sure that we are actually getting back on top of the road maintenance backlog in our state.”
NSW Nationals’ leader Dugald Saunders said the decision was very disappointing.
“They’ve essentially thrown away an investment into what would be a life-changing tunnel and have just wiped it from the floor,” he said.
“All the work had been done and it’s a slap in the face for those who live west of the dividing range.”
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