Prime Minister Tony Abbott has blamed the threat posed by the Greens for Victorian Labor's "bizarre" backflip on the East West Link, a claim Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews denies.
Mr Abbott said on Friday the Commonwealth had committed money to the road project because it was vital for the nation and Victoria.
"It's bizarre to have a would-be premier say one day that contracts are sacrosanct and then the next day that contracts will be torn up because he's in the pockets of the inner-city Greens," Mr Abbott told reporters in Melbourne.
"Plainly, it will be built under the coalition. It won't be built under Labor."
Mr Abbott was confident the project would proceed.
Mr Andrews rejected the notion he was swayed by the Greens threat to inner-city Labor MPs in his decision to dump the project.
He says Labor's legal advice suggests contracts signed while the project is under a Supreme Court legal challenge, due to be heard in December, are not "safe".
He repeated calls for Premier Denis Napthine to delay signing contracts until after the November election, saying the legal challenge meant they were not worth the paper they were written on.
"Why can't the government wait just four weeks to let Victorians make their judgment?" he said.
The government wants to sign contracts by October but Mr Andrews says voters should be able to choose between Labor's plan to remove 50 of the deadliest level crossings and the government's $8 billion "dud" tunnel.
However, Dr Napthine says the government is determined to build the project.
"There is no uncertainty about the project," he said.
"I guarantee contracts will be signed."
Dr Napthine says Labor's move is irresponsible, putting at risk $3 billion, business certainty and more than 6000 jobs created by the project.
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