Page 1813 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 8 June 2022
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We are really pleased to be getting on with the raising of London Circuit as the first step towards bringing light rail to Woden. Light rail to Woden has reached important milestones, with the National Capital Authority issuing the works approvals for the raising London Circuit project and also the Vernon Circle north signalisation, and procurement is in the final stages for the raising London Circuit project.
Members in this place will have heard me say this a lot, but when that construction gets underway in the city, it is going to be disruptive for the road network. One of the key things that we are going to be doing to mitigate this is encouraging Canberrans to rethink their routes and rethink their routines. That will be achieved through a public information campaign rolling out later this year. We will be urging Canberrans to consider taking public transport, walking, cycling and scooting to avoid getting stuck in traffic. But we recognise that not everybody will be able to leave the car at home and pick another transport mode. That is why we are also investing in infrastructure upgrades now to support more efficient travel.
One of the first physical interventions identified by the ACT government’s Disruption Taskforce was for the installation of part-time signals controlling the westbound right-turn movement from Parkes Way into Coranderrk Street. For those who do not think in compass points—I am told that I do—that means regulating traffic coming in from Kings Avenue and the airport and turning into the city, which can disrupt the much larger flow of traffic seeking to enter the city from the Tuggeranong Parkway and Belconnen.
Signalising the westbound right-turn movement will better regulate traffic flow and improve the capacity of the intersection, to cut delays at this pinch point for faster and less frustrating commutes. Work will be starting imminently on this project, as soon as we finalise land-licensing agreements with the National Capital Authority. We received works approval in April and are well advanced in procurement so that we can press go once the final land licence agreement comes through. The construction works will take about three months, with the majority of works to be carried out at night to minimise impacts to daytime commuters on this busy intersection. Of course, we expect the worst of the disruption to really begin next year, in 2023, so those works will be occurring sooner.
The ACT government is investing significantly in major road and transport projects to keep our city moving as it grows. I have outlined a number of these projects today. I could on keep going, but there are a lot of them. We have a $5 billion infrastructure pipeline, following the 2021-22 ACT budget, which is the largest in the history of the ACT government. We are protecting jobs across industries and will also be creating more across the territory for years to come, through this pipeline. I look forward to seeing these projects take shape as we continue to ensure that Canberra remains one of the most liveable cities in the world, that it remains one of the most connected cities in the world and is also one of the most sustainable. I present the following paper:
Key infrastructure projects update—Ministerial statement, 8 June 2022.
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