Bridge battle to continue
Fiona Brady
Thursday 5 June, 2008 8:00am
BOTH of the big ticket items that are on inner-west residents' minds the Iron Cove Bridge and the M4 East link were given honourable mentions in the State Budget.
But while the government earmarked $40 million for an upgrade of Victoria Rd, it only budgeted to spend $2 million on "planning" the M4 East link and has given no start date for construction.
Inner-west residents are still in the dark over the favoured route of the M4 East despite Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal promising that a discussion paper would be issued before the end of 2007.
The release of the 10-year state infrastructure strategy next week should throw some light on where the project currently stands.
Meanwhile a lobby group set up to fight plans for a second Iron Cove Bridge said Michael Costa's budget hadn't affected their resolve to continue the battle.
The Victoria Road Community Committee, whose campaign has included a protest march of more than 1000 residents over the bridge, say they will fight on.
"We are going to continue our campaign because we think the proposal is flawed," spokesman Alex Elliott said.
However the lobby group supports another of the new Budget's commitments $106 million for the new northwest metro link.
The mostly underground 38km metro line from the city to Rouse Hill would stop at Rozelle, Drummoyne and Ryde, and Mr Elliott said it "would seem to make the bridge obselete".
"The metro will get people out of their cars and move thousands of people up and down Victoria Rd at one time on public transport," he said.
"What is the point of spending $150 million on the bridge?"
