Page 1926 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 June 2015
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assist in overcoming disadvantage. I wish to congratulate all of the directorate’s hardworking staff on preparing this work and on their dedication to our most vulnerable people.
The ACT’s population is projected to reach over 499,000 people by 2032. With this, the demand for urban transport infrastructure is expected to increase significantly. The road network needs to keep up with the pace of population growth, otherwise we risk key transport corridors exceeding capacity.
This would be most evident in Gungahlin, which is one of the regions where higher growth is forecast. The 2015-16 ACT budget responds to these growth forecasts. One of the main road upgrade priorities for the Gungahlin area is the duplication of Gundaroo Drive. Yesterday’s budget provides funding of $31.1 million over two years to duplicate the section of Gundaroo Drive from Gungahlin Drive to the intersection of Mirrabei Drive and Anthony Rolfe Avenue.
The duplication of this section of road will improve safety and relieve congestion in the growing Gungahlin region and has been prioritised on the basis of accident trends and levels of congestion. This upgrade of Gundaroo Drive is key to meeting the road infrastructure needs of the Gungahlin region and will support several other projects identified for the area.
In the third quarter of 2015 work is expected to commence to upgrade the intersection of Gundaroo Drive, Barton Highway and William Slim Drive. The roundabout will be upgraded to incorporate additional lanes and traffic signal control on all four of its approaches. This project will be of particular benefit to Crace residents as it will improve traffic flow along Gundaroo Drive, better enabling them to exit their suburb. It will also improve traffic flow in the afternoon peak for Gungahlin residents returning home from work in Belconnen who currently get banked up on the approach to the roundabout.
The upgrades include the construction of a new shared path bridge, which includes new connections to the existing path that runs alongside Ginninderra Creek adjacent to Giralang. Additional on-road cycle lanes will be provided on the approaches from Gundaroo Drive, William Slim Drive and Barton Highway south to improve the amenity for cyclists at the intersection further on.
Tenders will also be called for a project to widen Gungahlin Drive to three lanes for 1.6 kilometres southbound, from north of Sandford Street through to the Barton Highway. The upgrade will increase capacity on this busy corridor, easing congestion and improving travel movements onto the Barton Highway.
The Horse Park Drive and Anthony Rolfe Avenue intersection will be upgraded to include two through-lanes in each direction on Horse Park Drive to improve traffic flow. Right turn lanes on Horse Park Drive into Throsby and Harrison will also be constructed.
The key project to ease congestion for Tuggeranong is the duplication of Ashley Drive from Erindale Drive to Ellerston Avenue, which received $24.6 million over
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