The Mornington roundabout upgrade has become the latest flashpoint between federal and state politicians, with federal minister Julie Collins accusing the Tasmanian government of dragging its feet on the $100 million project.
Collins said the project had suffered repeated delays, with the state government quietly updating timelines on the project’s website multiple times.
“This project has had more updates than an iPhone, and every single one has been a further delay,” she said.
“Mornington roundabout is one of Tasmania’s worst roundabouts which is why the Tasmanian Government must get on with delivering upgrades.”
The federal government has committed $80 million to the project, with the state contributing $20 million.
Collins said it was now up to the state to deliver.
“Eastern shore commuters who have been stuck in traffic deserve better than delays,” she said.
But Vincent hit back hard, saying Collins’s comments were “an attempt to distract from the years-long delays to key project road projects around Tasmania caused by Albanese Government’s environment laws”.
He pointed to the duplication of the Tasman Highway causeways at Midway Point and Sorell and the final 10 kilometres of the Midland Highway north of Campbell Town as projects held up by federal red tape.
Vincent said the design of the first section of the Mornington project, the Gordon’s Hill Road interchange, was delayed because of a wait for information from the City of Clarence and subsequent requests from the council for additional traffic modelling.
He said the department would push ahead with concept designs for the Gordon’s Hill ramps to the Tasman Highway to avoid further delays.
Public consultation will inform the final design to be completed in late 2026, with construction expected to start in mid-2027, he said.
The project forms part of a broader four-project program for the Mornington area identified in a traffic study conducted between 2021 and 2024.
Vincent said maintaining traffic flow during construction would be a major challenge given it’s one of the busiest intersections in southern Tasmania.
