Opposition calls for clarity on underpass future

The NSW Opposition is calling on the Government to clarify what the future is for the Woy Woy rail underpass project.

In late October, the Baird Government scuttled the Woy Woy rail underpass project, due to cost blowouts.

The decision came after stage one of the project, a pedestrian underpass under the Rawson Rd level crossing, was finished at a cost of $16 million.

NSW Roads Minister Mr Duncan Gay was criticised by the Labor Opposition in the NSW Legislative Council after he scuttled the project without any detailed explanation of why or what the government now intends to do in the area.

Shadow Minister for the Central Coast, Mr David Harris, and Shadow Minster for Transport, Ms Jodi McKay visited the level crossing on Tuesday, November 22.

They condemned the Government's poor decision-making and for abandoning the project.

They also demanded the Minister come clean about why the project's cost had increased so significantly, and when the decision had been made to abandon the work.

"The Peninsula is too often put in the too hard basket of infrastructure projects," said Mr Harris.

"This is a Government that is spending billions on infrastructure in Sydney," he said.

"Despite massive blowouts in cost, these projects continue, so why should the Peninsula be treated any differently?

"We simply can't abandon fixing this problem, and we want to work with the Government to address the issue.

"All they have done is scuttle the project and walk away."

Ms McKay called the current state of play "a complete debacle".

"It shows the Government cares little for fixing problems outside Sydney.

"Tens of millions of tax payer dollars have been wasted and now the Government simply walks away without any explanation of how this happened and what it now intends to do about the situation," Ms McKay said.

"The decision to walk away from this project shows the complete disregard the Government has for the Coast.

"This is mismanagement of the highest order."

Media release, 22 Nov 2016

David Harris, Shadow Minister for the Central Coast