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It is an admission that the original $64 million earmarked for a flyover at the dangerous spot on the western edge of Wodonga was not adequate and should encourage the Victorian government into action.
Despite being a national highway, it will be the state body Major Road Projects Victoria which will oversee the project which the federal government forecasts to generate 500 jobs.
The concern is that the work will not begin anytime soon on-site.
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This wold seem an unnecessarily long timeframe and is at odds with the expectations of Deputy Prime Minister and federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack.
It is not as if there has been no work done on planning for the future of this site.
It included a full diamond interchange for the McKoy Street intersection.
Yes there are strong indications the flyover work is likely to be moved west from McKoy Street because of complications with the layout of the existing site, including the proximity of the Melbourne to Sydney railway line.
That will involve some intricate planning, however the outlook from Major Road Projects seems predicated on dilly-dallying.
You might think the Victorian Labor government would be happy for the project to stay at the planning level until 2022 because it would mean the Coalition federal government facing an election in the interim without being able to celebrate work starting on the ground at McKoy Street.
Let's hope the state government disproves such cynicism and fast-tracks the project which will improve the safety of motorists.
