End to Hume Freeway project condemned by mayor, politicians

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King on Thursday, November 16, announced the Commonwealth was pulling its $168 million commitment to building an overpass at the west Wodonga intersection which is subject to an 80kmh speed limit.

It follows the Victorian government arguing an extra $190 million was needed and Benambra MP Bill Tilley declaring in March that the project was roadkill.

"Today is just getting rid of the carcass," Mr Tilley said on Thursday.

"This Victorian government is broke and with its Labor patsies in Canberra they've thrown away a plan for the future, a plan that would have created a safer Hume Freeway crossing."

Indi MP Helen Haines said she was "deeply" disappointed and pointed the finger at multiple governments.

"This is a failure of the former Morrison government, the Victorian Labor government and now of the federal Labor government," Dr Haines said.

"Former prime minister Scott Morrison made this promise in a fly-in, fly-out campaign stop in 2019, but there was no follow through in the three years of his government.

"In that time, we have since learnt the costs blew out from the initial $64 million election promise to more than $300 million to complete it.

"The former government and the Victorian government dragged their feet on McKoy Street, leaving it vulnerable to ending up on the chopping block.

"It is a disgrace that we have been left in this position.

"Unless the Victorian government makes this a priority, I can't see how this overpass will be built."

Wodonga mayor Ron Mildren said "it's disappointing we can't get our infrastructure needs addressed".

"Things will get worse as traffic increases, it's one of the fundamental things that needs to be fixed and sorted for Wodonga," Cr Mildren said.

"The concept of going to 80kmh at almost any interval along the freeway is just anathema to good transport and to good commercial networking and public networking."

Ms King also announced the Rutherglen heavy vehicle alternative route would not receive any Commonwealth funding.

That follows a $2 million commitment from the federal government in 2017 which was combined with $2 million from Victoria.

However, despite that funding, there has been no work on the ground.

Rutherglen-based Indigo Shire councillor Roberta Horne said she was not surprised by Ms King's move, which she labelled "brutal".

"I'm bitterly disappointed and I think the people of Rutherglen deserve a whole lot better," Cr Horne said.

"The reality is we're no safer now than we were before we got that money.

"We had the promise we were supposed to have it by 2020 and they've sat on their hands basically."

Indigo mayor Sophie Price said the move followed talks of introducing "safety upgrades and calming measures".

"It's a disappointing time to have the money pulled, because it did take six years of Regional Roads Victoria working through those options and the position they arrived at may have been the most reasonable outcome with the money that was provided," Cr Price said.

Mr Tilley likened the bureaucratic approach to the truck bypass to an episode of television comedy Utopia "on steroids".

"I can't remember a project with so many false starts and missteps," he said.

"This goes back to 2017 and since then we've had various bypass proposals, including one through the backstreets of Rutherglen that was bloody ridiculous.

"We've had traffic studies that would have you believe that the majority of truck traffic through Rutherglen was destined for Rutherglen, that's BS."

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