EastLink to give toll-free figure

By Shaun Inguanzo
CONNECTEAST will reveal how many cars used EastLink during its four-week toll-free period.
But it won’t reveal how many cars are using the tollway since tolling began on Monday.
ConnectEast spokesman Peter Deluca said the operator of EastLink would make an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange tomorrow (Friday) that included usage statistics during EastLink’s toll-free period.
And even though the Breeze tags are now being billed, Mr Deluca said it was too early to reveal tolled usage.
Meanwhile, analyst Bernard Salt, a partner at consulting firm KPMG, says EastLink will have a significant long-term effect on how eastern Melbournians live and work.
“Just as the new urban areas to the west of Melbourne relied upon the linking capability of the Western Ring Road which was completed in 1999, EastLink will capture the new additions to Melbourne’s eastern edge over the next 20 years,” Mr Salt said.
Other findings in Mr Salt’s report include that EastLink will serve as a critical transportation artery for Melbourne’s eastern suburbs over the next two decades.
More than 1.4 million Melbourne residents are located within 10km of EastLink.
The area served by EastLink contains 500,000 jobs, one-third of Melbourne’s workforce.