Black spot left dark

While considering an update on the $7.44 million realignment project at this month’s council meeting, Wanneroo councillors said the City had been pushing for ‘value for money’ by asking Main Roads WA again if it could fund works to build the junction at its final road level.

At the meeting last week, Cr Brett Treby said the project involved between $1 million and $1.3 million of ‘sacrificial’ work that would have to be redone.

‘It is appalling that we are having to spend this money and it is going to be sacrificed down the road,’ Cr Dianne Guise said.

However, Wanneroo MLA Paul Miles said the City had promised to deliver the traffic lights by the end of 2012 when Transport Minister Troy Buswell doubled State funding for the black spot to $1 million in total.

Mr Miles said at the time, there were two options: to either give the City the extra $500,000 or for Main Roads to build the intersection, which would connect with Neerabup Road.

‘The indication at the time was it was going to take three years (for Main Roads to build it),’ he said.

‘The councillors for political reasons said ‘No, we are not going to wait for three years ” we will build the road’.

‘Here we are in September now of 2013 ” they are still arguing over what needs to be done.

‘They have done nothing but clear some bush.’

At the September 10 council briefing, City infrastructure director Dennis Blair said the City again asked Main Roads about redesigning the junction after the State Government announced plans to extend Neerabup Road as part of the Mitchell Freeway extension project to Hester Avenue.

However, Mr Blair said the State budget announcements showed there were no funds available to do so within the timeframe the City planned to realign Flynn Drive.

‘We believe now it is imperative that we move forward with our original design,’ he said.

‘We do have a black spot that we need to resolve and we need to resolve very quickly.’