Three sources familiar with the situation,who sought anonymity,said the scrapping of the “development partner” process was likely to delay the start of major construction of the motorway tunnel from North Sydney to Rozelle by up to a year – a point refuted by Transport for NSW.
Shadow treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the Western Harbour Tunnel was “laughably behind schedule”,and the latest setback would delay the project at least another year and “massively hike” the construction bill for taxpayers.
“No one should expect this government to ever deliver a major project on time or on budget,” he said. “Contractors have learnt that it’s perilous to do business with Transport for NSW. They end up having to pay for the government’s incompetence.”
A parliamentary inquiry into the impact of the new tunnel and the proposedBeaches Link to Sydney’s north-east begins on Monday.
Transport for NSW said it expected a contract for the design and construction of the 6.5-kilometre tunnel to be awarded “late next year”,which will be just before the state election in March 2023.