COUNTER rallies over the failed East West Link have faced off on the steps of State Parliament today.

About 100 people from a Liberal-backed group are calling for the project to be reinstated to ease traffic that is “crippling Melbourne.”

Federal member for Deakin Michael Sukkar said the outer east had been forgotten by the State Government.

“We will not stop until the link is built,” he said.

Victorian Liberal president Michael Kroger, Victorian MP David Davis and Federal Member for Aston Alan Tudge were among the crowd chanting “build the link.”

Public transport advocate Public Transport Not Traffic, which staged a protest within metres of the Liberal group, want increased public transport across the state.

The group say the East West Link is a “zombie” project and have thrown their support behind the Melbourne Metro project.

“Obviously there’s no stopping some peoples requirement for magical thinking to make their lives bearable,” the group said in a message posted online.

The protests remained peaceful.