West Gate footbridges used by hundreds gone, no replacements in sight - The Age

The Victorian government's signature project has been bogged down in legal action as part of a wider dispute about contaminated soil. The Supreme Court case began on Thursday.

Public Transport Minister Melissa Horne, who is also the local MP for the seat of Williamstown which takes in the four suburbs linked by the footbridges, said last year the pedestrian bridges would remain until replacements were built.

Ms Horne said at the time that the two footbridges were “more than just infrastructure, they connect communities”.

The footbridges were demolished last month to make way for four extra car lanes on the West Gate Freeway. They were part of the original freeway, which opened in 1978.

Structural problems on the new bridge spans that were to be installed meant they have to be rebuilt.

A spokeswoman for Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said there was a massive amount of work involved in widening the West Gate Freeway, and that the footbridges needed to be removed so this work could continue.

“The West Gate Tunnel project is providing a free shuttle bus for the residents that use these bridges,” she said.

The government is telling residents they will have to wait at least four months for new bridges, but a building worker on the site who asked not to be named to protect his job, said that was unrealistic.

“We won’t see these footbridges in six months, and that’s being optimistic,” the worker said.

Among the hundreds of residents affected by the demolition is Jasmine Turner. Before the footbridge linking Altona North and Brooklyn came down, the 20-year-old could walk to work in 15 minutes.

“The last time I walked home from work because of all the closures on Millers Road, it literally took me an hour,” said Ms Turner, who does not have a driving licence.

The West Gate Tunnel project under construction on Thursday in Altona NorthCredit:Joe Armao

She said workers on the project had told her “we have no idea on when it’s getting rebuilt”.

“And until then, they've said, ‘here’s this random bus’. My mum has used it a few times, but I’ve never been able to get it.” If Ms Turner’s mother isn’t able to pick her up from work, she takes an Uber.

The other demolished footbridge connected Yarraville and Spotswood, with many children and parents using it to get to local primary schools.

Spotswood resident Rosa McKenna said she had been told by workers on the site it would be six months before the footbridge was replaced.

Liam Boland lives near where one of the new footbridges will be built, and has been angered at constant plan alterations and a lack of communication.

He said the new bridge design appeared to have changed as the project progressed, and that it had been difficult to get information about what would be constructed.

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“Every time we try to speak to someone – Melissa Horne’s office, the West Gate Tunnel authority, the joint-venture building it, Transurban – they all pass the buck and tell us to talk to someone else. They all deny responsibility.”

Adrian Darwent, a spokesman for construction companies CPB Contractors and John Holland, said: “The joint venture won't be providing comments.”

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihQFodHRwczovL3d3dy50aGVhZ2UuY29tLmF1L3BvbGl0aWNzL3ZpY3RvcmlhL3dlc3QtZ2F0ZS1mb290YnJpZGdlcy11c2VkLWJ5LWh1bmRyZWRzLWdvbmUtbm8tcmVwbGFjZW1lbnRzLWluLXNpZ2h0LTIwMjAwNjE4LXA1NTN5cS5odG1s0gGFAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLnRoZWFnZS5jb20uYXUvcG9saXRpY3MvdmljdG9yaWEvd2VzdC1nYXRlLWZvb3RicmlkZ2VzLXVzZWQtYnktaHVuZHJlZHMtZ29uZS1uby1yZXBsYWNlbWVudHMtaW4tc2lnaHQtMjAyMDA2MTgtcDU1M3lxLmh0bWw?oc=5

2020-06-18 06:13:40Z
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