Libs pledge to reclaim tunnel-affected roads, The Australian, 20 February, 2006.

Libs pledge to reclaim tunnel-affected roads: [2 All-round First Edition]

Stapleton, John. The Australian; Canberra, A.C.T. [Canberra, A.C.T] 20 Feb 2006: 4.

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NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said roads blocked, narrowed or altered to encourage people to use the 2km tollway would be reopened under a Coalition government, regardless of the contractual obligations to operator CrossCity Motorway.

"I am putting the operators of the Cross City Tunnel and any other company looking at buying the tunnel on notice today that we will take those roads back. Labor sold off public roads; the public want them back," Mr Debnam said.

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SYDNEY'S contentious Cross City Tunnel moved up in the political stakes yesterday when the NSW Opposition promised to reopen more than 70 public roads.

NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said roads blocked, narrowed or altered to encourage people to usethe2km tollway would be reopened under a Coalition government, regardless ofthecontractual obligations to operator CrossCity Motorway.    

Mr Debnam said that the day after a Coalition win at next year's election, public roads effectively controlled by the tunnel owners would be returned to government control.

"I am puttingtheoperators oftheCross City Tunnel and any other company looking at buyingthetunnel on notice today that we will take those roads back. Labor sold off public roads;thepublic want them back," Mr Debnam said.        

The Labor Government hit back yesterday, saying reopening public roads would trigger a compensation payout of up to $1billion of taxpayers' money.

"That is $1billion that will be taken from hospitals, schools, police stations and every other frontline service provided by theGovernment," a spokesman for Premier Morris Iemma said.

A spokeswoman for the Cross City Tunnel said the tightly written contract with the Government contained compensation clauses.

"One of the objectives of the project was to reclaim land for pedestrians and pubic transport, particularly buses, and to restrict cars coming into the CBD," she said.

The tunnel has outraged motorists by causing congestion throughout inner-city suburbs.