WA Labor has vowed to scrap the "deeply flawed" $1.9 billion Perth Freight Link if it wins the March election, but the Commonwealth has backed its Liberal counterparts, saying the state will not get the money for other projects.
Opposition Leader Mark McGowan said as premier he would renegotiate the Roe 8 contract, freeing up $1.7 billion for more worthy "congestion-busting" projects, with $236 million to be used on three other projects he revealed on Wednesday.
Labor will also start planning an outer harbour at Kwinana to complement Fremantle Port, which will reach capacity in 10 years.
Legal advice from former WA solicitor-general Grant Donaldson indicated renegotiating the Roe 8 contract would incur a modest cost.
Mr McGowan described the project as a "monumental waste of money" that made no sense in terms of planning, the economy or environment, and called on the premier to halt work until March.
It has become a key election issue and Mr McGowan said the public had a choice between supporting Labor's comprehensive plan or the Liberals' short-sighted road to nowhere.
But Transport Minister Bill Marmion said Labor's idea was "silly" and the cost of breaking the contract would be about $40 million.
Deputy Premier Liza Harvey said Labor was being reckless by throwing away $1.2 billion of federal investment, which is tied to the Perth Freight Link, and 3360 jobs would be lost from a project that would ease congestion.
But Mr McGowan said he expected the Commonwealth to back WA Labor, just as it supported the Victorian Labor government's decision to scrap the East-West project.
"We would expect and in fact demand that the Commonwealth respect the will of the people of WA."
But a major difference is Victoria already had the money to reallocate and WA doesn't.
A spokesman for federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher told AAP the funds "cannot simply be reallocated to other projects".
Labor plans to take $236 million from the Perth Freight Link to spend on three projects, with some funding previously assigned, and Mr McGowan said they would create jobs.
It includes bringing forward the $145 million Armadale Road dual carriageway between Anstey Road and Tapper Road, $166 million for the Armadale Road Bridge, and $95 million to build two new overpasses on Wanneroo Road.
The Roe 8 project has also been part of an ongoing legal battle involving the Save Beeliar Wetlands group, with a Federal Court hearing scheduled for Friday, following a lost bid in the High Court.
In the meantime, the group says an agreement has been reached to have no more clearing work done until Monday.
Roe 8 would extend Roe Highway from Jandakot to Coolbellup, passing through the wetlands, and is part of the Perth Freight Link, which is designed to get freight to Fremantle Port.
