Page 1809 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2022
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well known that this also increases the price of asphalt, for example, for projects like the roads that we have in our infrastructure pipeline. We are also continuing to experience challenges in workforce availability, both locally and across the entire supply chain, affecting the manufacture and shipping of material supplies.
Canberrans who run businesses, who work in big departments or who have kids at our schools know how much absences have affected the workforce in recent times, and our infrastructure projects have been no exception. Taken together, it is a really challenging time to be trying to build big things. But trying hard and getting on with it is what we are doing, because we recognise how important major infrastructure projects are for our economy today, but also for our city’s future liveability.
I would now like to give a brief update on some of the major projects in the works, and what is coming up in the second half of the year. The $175 million Molonglo River bridge extension of the John Gorton Drive project in my electorate of Murrumbidgee is a really big one on our agenda. This project will support a significant release of land for new homes in the Molonglo Valley, as well as continuing to improve key travel corridors between Weston Creek and Belconnen, and Woden and Belconnen. The new bridge will span 227.5 metres across the Molonglo River, completing the connection between John Gorton Drive and William Hovell Drive.
In my active travel statement in March, I highlighted the challenges Canberrans can face when trying to walk and cycle in this city because it was originally designed to have large, open green spaces. This is a good thing, but it creates some challenges. It results in a low-density, spread-out city, which creates a reliance on car-based travel, even for short trips. So when we are planning and delivering infrastructure for new regions like Molonglo, we focus on including active travel elements so that Canberrans can choose to leave the car at home and walk and cycle or scoot to their destinations, as a great option.
Within the Molonglo River bridge project, $11 million will be spent on active travel infrastructure, including off-road, separated cyclepaths and an underpass for people on foot. This will create an important link in our active travel network to connect with existing cycle routes to the city and Belconnen. The Molonglo River bridge will also support the potential for future light rail, intertown and local bus routes, as well as access to the future Molonglo group centre, which is being delivered by the Suburban Land Agency. The planning work is well underway. It is being fast-tracked by Minister Gentleman and the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate.
In March 2022 we released a tender for design and construction services to those parties who had been successful in an expression of interest process that ran from late 2021 to early 2022. Our planning and impact assessments have been lodged and approved, which means we can get on and get this project moving as soon possible once the current tender process is finalised. That is exciting, because this project will
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