Downs to Mount Martha. A group of Moorooduc residents claimed they were not consulted in the first phase of the project, and the figures had been skewed to show public support for the selected preferred option. The report said: The Frankston Bypass would be a 25 km freeway standard road with two lanes in each direction with a speed limit of 100 km/h. A full grade separated junction would be provided with EastLink and the Frankston Freeway, along with full grade-separated diamond interchanges at Dandenong-Frankston Road, Cranbourne-Frankston Road, Golf Links Road, Frankston-Flinders Road, Bungower Road and Old Moorooduc Road / Mornington Peninsula Freeway. Interchanges at Skye Road and Mornington-Tyabb Road will have half-diamond grade-separated interchanges with northbound entry and southbound exit ramps. The cost was estimated between $500 million to $750 million. In September 2008 ConnectEast held talks with Roads Minister Tim Pallas, but the State Government refused to discuss the issue with the media, or promise to build it without tolls. On 16 October 2008 State Premier John Brumby announced the bypass would be built. Costing $700 million and now 27 kilometres long, work would start by the end of 2009. The State Government expected the project would be paid for in partnership with the Federal Government, and confirmed that it would be toll-free. Throughout 2008 and early 2009 the State Government examined a number of Public Private Partnership (PPP) models for the delivery of the project, selecting the Partnerships Victoria 'Availability' model, where the private sector company designs, builds, finances and operates the project for an agreed period of time, with the State Government making regular payments to the company based on performance against a set of key performance indicators, which avoided any charges being imposed on road users. The PPP was managed by the Linking Melbourne Authority (formerly SEITA) and delivered by private sector partner Southern Way, with the State Government providing quarterly payments for delivery under an availability model, with no charges to motorists. An invitation for Expressions of Interest was issued in March 2009 followed by a Request for Proposals, with two bidders short listed by November 2009. Final bids were received a month later, with the Southern Way consortium (made up of construction companies Abigroup and Bilfinger Berger, along with financier Royal Bank of Scotland) being awarded the contract to design, build and operate the freeway on 20 January 2010. The contract with Southern