State Government reveals plans to widen the Eastern Fwy to make traffic-busting superlink

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The Eastern Freeway will be widened by one lane in each direction under the East West Link project.

The plan to expand a 13km stretch of the Eastern Freeway to Tram Rd in Doncaster is revealed in the Napthine Government’s bid to a federal advisory body to secure support for the first stage of the East West Link, to cost $6 billion-$8 billion.

The executive summary of the submission to Infrastructure Australia, obtained by the Herald Sun, also reveals the East West Link stage one – to connect the Eastern Freeway to CityLink – will include two separate tunnels of three lanes, each running 4.4km between Hoddle St and Royal Park, west of the Upfield rail line.

The submission, which argues the project will produce a huge boost to Victoria’s economy, will put pressure on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to match Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s pledge to stump up $1.5 billion if he wins this year’s federal election.

An executive summary of the business case of the multi-billion dollar project contains the most detail yet released about the engineering and financing of the project and the economic benefits the Government says will flow from it.

One of the biggest claims for the project is that it will provide enhanced public transport opportunities across the city and the inner north by removing cross-town traffic from Alexandra Parade.

James Campbell, Herald Sun, June 30,2013