Council changed mind on underpass, Minister claims

Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Mr Duncan Gay, has claimed Gosford Council had changed its mind about wanting an underpass replacement for the Rawson Rd level crossing.

"The former Gosford Council initially proposed to close the existing rail level crossing by constructing an underpass.

"As many Members of this House would understand, the construction of an underpass under a major railway line is a hugely complex and costly exercise.

"It is a mean engineering feat because it means drilling under an operating railway line.

"A new pedestrian underpass beside the level crossing was designed and built with approximately $11 million of funding provided by the NSW Government.

"The former Gosford Council did not contribute a single cent to this project, which I officially opened in early 2015.

"We have to bear in mind that the original 2011 commitment was for $30 million.

"By this stage, council was now favouring an overpass rather than an underpass - in other words, a road-over-rail bridge.

"Again, building a road-over-rail bridge is a massive undertaking.

"Not only does a bridge need to be built, its approaches also have to be built.

"Furthermore, council did not indicate it had the funding available to continue with such a proposal," Mr Gay said

Hansard, 20 Oct 2016

Duncan Gay, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight

Reporter: Jackie Pearson