Federal election 2022: Liberal candidate for Brand Peter Hudson endorses Garden Island Highway project

Liberal candidate for Brand Peter Hudson has started a petition for the construction of the Garden Island Highway after Rockingham residents raised concerns over the existing route to Garden Island. Workers commuting to Garden Island and HMAS Stirling are currently limited to Parkin Street and surrounding roads to get across to the island, with peak-hour congestion and noise unavoidable during the working week. Locals living in the area have expressed concerns for years about the increasing congestion and say that the Garden Island Highway would ease traffic congestion significantly. Brand hopeful Peter Hudson is petitioning to have a feasibility study undertaken for the project, with a focus on safer roads and eased congestion. “I am listening to the concerns of locals who experience heavy congestion to and from Garden Island every day,” Mr Hudson said. “I’ve seen and heard firsthand how bad the traffic is and the impact this is having on residents who live on Parkin Street and Cape Peron and the many surrounding roads.” The feasibility study is also a key part of the City of Rockingham’s advocacy plan. With an election on the doorstep, the City is hoping to secure funding for the study. The City’s advocacy plan outlines that should the highway not be constructed, the existing road network will be operating at the upper limit of its capacity. “Although there has been no environmental assessment to determine if the Garden Island Highway can be constructed . . . there is a need to determine its viability,” the City’s advocacy plan states. “Determining the feasibility of the Garden Island Highway will provide some certainty to the stakeholders and will allow planning for the project or alternatives to be pursued.” Mr Hudson welcomed the City’s support for the feasibility study and urged locals to sign the petition. “I am fighting for Federal funding for this feasibility study so we can work out how much this critical project would cost, and how to design it in a way that protects our pristine environment,” Mr Hudson said. The petition has about 60 signatures out of its goal of 250.