Government abandons level crossing project

The State Government has abandoned the Rawson Rd level crossing replacement project.

Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Mr Duncan Gay, announced the decision in answer a question from Mr Walt Secord in the Legislative Council on October 20.

According to Mr Gay, the overpass project would now cost the NSW Government a total of between $80 million and $115 million.

The NSW Government originally promised $30 million towards the replacement of the crossing in 2011 as a major component of Mr Chris Holstein's campaign to be elected as the Liberal Member for Gosford.

Since then, the cost of replacing the level crossing has been revised upward on several occasions.

The level crossing replacement project has been at a standstill since the completion of the pedestrian underpass in 2015.

"At the opening of the new pedestrian underpass, I committed an extra $7 million towards the council's proposed upgrade of the level crossing.

"This increased the overall commitment of the New South Wales Government at this location to $52 million because a total of $45 million had been committed towards a pedestrian and road solution at the level crossing.

"Unsurprisingly, the cost estimate to achieve a solution at the level crossing increased from $52 million, which increased from the original $30 million, to be between $80 million and $115 million.

"Following the cost estimate increase, I wrote to the council and advised that no further funding would be available for the proposal, which the council admitted it could not possibly afford itself.

"Taxpayers should not be forced to foot an even larger bill."

Mr Gay said the Government had no responsibility for the roads involved.

"Woy Woy Rd and Rawson Rd are regional roads under the care and control of the Central Coast Council, previously the Gosford Council.

"In other words, they are not state-owned or managed roads," he said.

"Since 2011, the New South Wales Government has committed more than $36 million in grant funding to Gosford City Council for the upgrade and repair of council owned and managed roads.

"This is equal to a 27 per cent increase in the grant funding compared to what Labor spent in its last term of Government.

"The New South Wales Government also spent $178 million upgrading the West Gosford interchange to address traffic demand on the Central Coast Highway and Brisbane Water Drive.

"The latter is the key State road connection to the northern end of Woy Woy and this upgrade was open to traffic in 2015," Mr Gay said.

Hansard, 20 Oct 2016

Duncan Gay, Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight

Reporter: Jackie Pearson