Which minister worth their sanity would honestly welcome a roads portfolio? It would have to be one of the toughest jobs in government.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As fast as one hole is plugged in one corner of the state, another opens up in a neighbouring region before the whole cycle starts again. And you can bet your bottom dollar there will be another whinger just around the corner screaming ‘what about us?’. Why? Because it’s hard to please everyone and when you tinker with our roads, you mess with an issue which affects a vast majority of the Australian public.
State roads minister Duncan Gay has copped his fair share of criticism, much of it warranted, for the overdue, over-budget Gunnedah second rail overpass.
It has been a thorn in the side of local government since it was first announced four years ago at a fraction of what the bridge is now budgeted for. But new Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey remains headstrong in the conviction the project will proceed as promised. Just when that will happen is anyone’s guess although there is some movement at the station.
Council and state government agreed at a meeting in Gunnedah on Monday to move forward with plans to build the rail overpass on the town’s western approach as proposed despite significant costs involved.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Mr Gay who just weeks ago said the nearly $60 million budget for a new road-over-rail bridge in Gunnedah was “not in line with community expectations” and new options had to be considered.
It has been a shocker of a year for Mr Gay and the conundrum of how to get traffic past our state’s rail lines.
Earlier this year he was forced to scrap the controversial Woy Woy underpass which experienced a similarly significant budget blowout in the tens of millions. Not wanting a repeat of Woy Woy, it’s easy to see why the minister and local members Kevin Anderson are digging deep in the pockets to make sure the Gunnedah overpass proceeds.
But do really need it at this price? Would the money be better spent on more prominent rail crossings like Scone? Some parts of the community certainly think so.
Perhaps we’re too far committed with the Gunnedah planning to back out now. Imagine the uproar at state funds, your taxes, being wasted if they did pull the pin.
What are your thoughts? Email: mail.nvi@fairfaxmedia.com.au