The first stage of Melbourne’s mega infrastructure project, East West Link 1, costing A$6.8 billion (US$5.9 billion), financially closed on October 3 after a Victoria state High Court rejected a bid to delay the signing until mid-October. A local resident had applied to the High Court for an injunction to stop the contract until October 17, but a High Court Justice ruled that the respondents stood to lose much more than the plaintiff if an injunction were granted.