The Albion Park Rail Bypass may already be more than $100 million over budget.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Mercury has received Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) documents that appear to show plans to alter the scope of the project to rein in a funding shortfall as high as $217 million.
But an RMS spokesman said the figures were based on “outdated estimates”
The undated documents, which look to have been created in 2016, outline cuts to save $86 million.
The document floats three “cost saving initiatives” which include completing part of the northern interchange at a later stage.
The other two initiatives listed were changes to the Tongarra Road interchange and "soft soil treatment”, where measures are introduced to strengthen soils along the chosen route.
Even with these cuts in place the document states the Albion Park Rail project would still cost substantially more than the $561 million already earmarked by the NSW Government.
The papers say there would be a shortfall of $105 million, meaning the bypass would cost $666 million.
But the recommendation is the project move forward “assuming that the additional funds of $105 million will be available”.
An RMS spokesman said the project had changed since the plans outlined in these documents.
“The $217 million and the $105 million figures are based on an outdated estimates and design which is no longer relevant,” he said.
“The project has since been refined, which is part of the normal process a project undergoes as it progresses.”
He added a call for expressions of interest to build the bypass occurred in March and further information will be released in the NSW budget.
