Article: Overseas mission to save tunnel

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Overseas mission to save tunnel

Overseas mission to save tunnel
Marissa Calligeros and Georgia Waters | January 15, 2009 - 12:06PM

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman will send a delegation of council representatives overseas in a bid to save the Northern Link tunnel.

The trip to the UK, Europe and Asia will try to find additional bidders for the Toowong to Kelvin Grove tunnel, which has already been dogged by delays that have cost ratepayers $200,000.

The "trouble-shooting" trip will cost between $60,000 and $70,000, Cr Newman told reporters in Brisbane today.

Cr Newman said the council was fully committed to completing the project, but would not proceed until there were at least two bidders.

According to a spokesman, the council was not satisfied that one of the original two bidders - a consortium comprising Thiess, John Holland Group, Macquarie Bank and Abbey Group - had met the criteria to enter into a firm tender.

Cr Newman said Leighton Contractors - which heads the leading bidding consortium - would not automatically win the contract.

"It's not good enough for one company to put their hand up and say, 'give it to us'," Cr Newman said.

"It's absolutely mischievous at this stage (for Leighton) to say that construction costs are going up by 8 per cent  in the next financial year. When the markets turn, we will get the competitive bids we need."

He said he would not disadvantage Brisbane ratepayers by "lining the pockets of shareholders of a big company".

But the council Opposition said the delays to the project, which was originally slated for completion in mid-2013 but pushed out to 2016, were unacceptable.

"It's almost a month since Northern Link first looked like faltering and Campbell Newman has still not provided any plan to deliver the congestion-busting infrastructure he promised," Opposition leader Shayne Sutton said.

"If the consortium led by Leighton Contractors is willing to construct the tunnel, Campbell Newman should at least be meeting with them to try and negotiate a way forward."

Leighton has threatened to withdraw its bid if the council drags out the tender process for too long.

Cr Sutton said proceeding with major infrastructure projects would help stimulate the city's economy.

"Brisbane City Council has already invested around $16 million in Northern Link, with a further $11 million forecast to be spent in the next two years.

"No one knows how long the current global economic crisis will last and we don't want to see this money go down the drain."

She also called on the Lord Mayor to assure the Federal Government, which has promised $500 million for the project, that Brisbane City Council was commmitted to building the tunnel.

[brismike]

Sounds like a nice junket . . how does one get on it lol?

[mufreight]

Simple become a political lackey and crawl a lot and you are there but I am told the aftertaste is terrible.

[Dean Quick]

If only Mr Newman was as enthusiastic about Light Rail and heavy rail expansion as he is about the current road,tunnel and bridge building
monster he has created. Do these projects come with breathing masks for all?
When are our politicians going to wake up??