THE state government has watered down its promise to upgrade the Midland Highway, saying it ‘‘remains an aspiration’’ that will not be finished for more than 10 years. In opposition, the Liberal Party promised to upgrade the major arterial route to a four-lane highway between Launceston and Hobart. The state and federal governments have since pledged $500 million over 10 years to duplicate the road. Prime Minister Tony Abbott went into last year’s federal election promising to complete the project within that time. But state Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said yesterday that the upgrade would ‘‘clearly not’’ be finished within 10 years. Mr Hidding would not say if a revised time-frame had been established to duplicate the highway. ‘‘That’s something that we will need to lay out in the future as we cost more and more of these sections,’’ he said. ‘‘In the meantime, what is important is that we’re spending money on making roads, the Midland Highway, so much safer.’’ Opposition infrastructure spokesman Craig Farrell said the Liberal Party’s long-held policy had been exposed as a complete con. ‘‘The four-lane Midland Highway has gone from an iron-clad promise on a giant billboard to an ‘aspiration’,’’ he said. ‘‘Tasmanians have a right to feel like they’ve been led down the garden path. ‘‘Rene Hidding now needs to explain exactly what his government has planned when it comes to upgrading the Midland Highway.’’ The opposition claimed that the government had severely underestimated the cost of the upgrades and was only just beginning to understand how expensive it would be. Mr Hidding yesterday announced that the government would spend $268 million over the next four years on resurfacing, remarking and maintaining the state’s urban and rural road network. Six safety projects are planned along the Midland Highway this summer, including extra lanes on some sections and road-dividing fences in others.
THE state government has watered down its promise to upgrade the Midland Highway, saying it ‘‘remains an aspiration’’ that will not be finished for more than 10 years.
In opposition, the Liberal Party promised to upgrade the major arterial route to a four-lane highway between Launceston and Hobart.
The state and federal governments have since pledged $500 million over 10 years to duplicate the road.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott went into last year’s federal election promising to complete the project within that time.
But state Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said yesterday that the upgrade would ‘‘clearly not’’ be finished within 10 years.
Mr Hidding would not say if a revised time-frame had been established to duplicate the highway.
‘‘That’s something that we will need to lay out in the future as we cost more and more of these sections,’’ he said.
‘‘In the meantime, what is important is that we’re spending money on making roads, the Midland Highway, so much safer.’’
Opposition infrastructure spokesman Craig Farrell said the Liberal Party’s long-held policy had been exposed as a complete con.
‘‘The four-lane Midland Highway has gone from an iron-clad promise on a giant billboard to an ‘aspiration’,’’ he said.
‘‘Tasmanians have a right to feel like they’ve been led down the garden path.
‘‘Rene Hidding now needs to explain exactly what his government has planned when it comes to upgrading the Midland Highway.’’ The opposition claimed that the government had severely underestimated the cost of the upgrades and was only just beginning to understand how expensive it would be.
Mr Hidding yesterday announced that the government would spend $268 million over the next four years on resurfacing, remarking and maintaining the state’s urban and rural road network.
Six safety projects are planned along the Midland Highway this summer, including extra lanes on some sections and road-dividing fences in others.
