Page 1473 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 May 2015
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main civil works contract was tendered in May 2014 and let in August last year. Work commenced on the site in November last year and is anticipated to be completed in early 2016.
I recently went for a walk down Constitution Avenue with officers from Roads ACT to see the progress of the work which is underway. It was great to see the progress that is being made and the sections which are already looking near completion and providing an excellent streetscape.
Traffic travelling along Constitution Avenue has been disrupted throughout the construction period to date. Considering that the entire avenue is being completely reconstructed, I believe these impacts have been relatively well managed. Some delays and impacts are, however, unavoidable, and changes to the operations of the ACTION bus network were required to minimise the disruption to the travelling public.
Permanent modifications to parts of the existing car parks at the Civic Pool and opposite the Reid CIT campus have occurred to allow for the main upgrade works to progress. These modifications were required to accommodate the new carriageway of Constitution Avenue, along with the new trees, bike paths and pedestrian paths in the southern verge.
In addition to this, a significant new stormwater system is being constructed underneath the southern carriageway. This section of the stormwater network services a large part of the city and inner north, including the suburbs of Ainslie, Reid and Campbell, and these improvements will facilitate future water quality improvements in the area before it finds its way into Lake Burley Griffin, also supporting the city to the lake planning.
The current construction site allows for the upgrade of the new southern carriageway and southern verge improvements. This stage of work is anticipated to be completed in September this year, weather permitting, at which point in time the work site will flip to the northern carriageway, and existing traffic will move onto the new southern carriageway in a new temporary two-way arrangement.
As you would be well aware, modification to the access road and car park adjacent to the Legislative Assembly is included in the main civil works contract. These works will reconstruct the access road from London Circuit into Knowles Place, as well as modifying the abutting car parks accessed via Knowles Place. When complete, this work will support and facilitate the future connection of Constitution Avenue to Vernon Circle.
During the construction of the avenue, the public transport network has been amended to ensure that the impact of running times was managed. These changes have had a positive impact on the overall on-time performance of the ACTION bus network and improved the experience for passengers.
At the completion of the project, a dedicated bus lane between Allara Street and Anzac Parade will provide further improvements to running times, separating the
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