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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 6 Hansard (15 June) . . Page.. 1846 ..

routes once an allowance was made for removing the Barry Drive link from the eastern option-this information is at paragraphs 13.2 to 13.5 of the report. The committee came to the view that the cost of the western option should incorporate the cost of replacement parking between Braybrooke and Leverrier Streets, as well as some adjustment for the cost of ensuring safe access by pedestrians to the AIS and Bruce Stadium during road construction [see paragraphs 13.35 and 13.36].

Further, government witnesses told the committee that the cost of a grade-separated intersection of the GDE and Ginninderra Drive-which committee recommends-is $1m-$2m greater if the GDE is located to the west of the AIS than if it is located to the east, due to 'terrain differences and potential realignment of drainage channels' along Ginninderra Drive [see paragraph 13.14 of the report].

Taking these factors into account, the committee concluded that the cost of the western option is approximately $25m-$28m [see paragraph 13.38]. By comparison, the cost of the eastern option is approximately $21m-$22m [paragraph 13.39]

The committee was informed by the government in November 2000 that further work on the cost of the eastern and western alignments had been done. The committee reproduced the government's advice at paragraph 13.14 of the report. It shows that the respective costs of the eastern and western alignments were $22m and $24m

The above comments apply to the evidence presented to the committee during the inquiry. Since the report was released, some further debate has taken place about the estimated cost of the eastern and western alignments. In particular, the 2001-2002 Budget Paper No 3 (at page 134) and Budget Paper No 4( at page 196) show an allocation of $32 m for the GDE, which is described as being 'four lanes plus tunnels'.

The reference to 'four lanes' is in accord with information given to the committee during the inquiry and incorporated in the Maunsell Study. This information referred to the fact that Maunsell's Option 3A [which excluded the Barry Drive link] required four lanes over its whole length [see paragraph 13.4 of the committee's report].

The reference to 'tunnels' was a 'mistake' according to information provided to the Select Committee on Estimates 2001-2002. The government told the Select Committee that the difference in cost between $22m (as stated in this committee's report) and $32 m (as stated in the Budget Papers) was due to the inclusion of three grade-separated interchanges along the GDE.

The government's original plan for the GDE had at-grade intersections at GDE/Barton Highway intersection, GDE/Ginninderra Drive, and GDE/Belconnen Way [see paragraph 2.15 of the committee's report]. The committee recommended that these three intersections be grade-separated [see the committee's recommendations numbers 8, 11 and 12]. In making these recommendations, the committee had estimates of the cost of two of the intersections: the GDE/Ginninderra Drive intersection was costed at $3 m for the eastern alignment and $4m-$5m for the western alignment, and the GDE/Belconnen Way intersection was costed at $2m [see paragraph 13.14 of the report].

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