Page 641 - Week 02 - Thursday, 16 February 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
Gundaroo Drive upgrade, the duplication of Aikman Drive, Ashley Drive, Horse Park Drive, and the duplication of the Cotter Road in my electorate.
The government has also successfully upgraded the Barton Highway roundabout just recently. In addition, this government delivered on the major road construction of the Majura Parkway and Constitution Avenue which, I note to Ms Kikkert, was a collaboration of two Labor governments funding a major road upgrade. This demonstrates the ACT Labor government’s commitment to better roads and to better road maintenance.
At the election ACT Labor also committed to duplicating Athllon Drive in my electorate—something the Liberals did not commit to—between Drakeford Drive and Sulwood Drive, as well as the duplication of William Slim Drive between the Barton Highway and Ginninderra Drive, Gundaroo Drive from Gungahlin Drive to the Barton Highway.
In my electorate of Murrumbidgee the government has been very active in better road maintenance. In Phillip, for example, as I am reminded quite often on my late night trips to the gym in Phillip, night time road resurfacing works at the intersection of Hindmarsh Drive and Melrose Drive and Brewer Street have begun. I note an article on the RiotACT yesterday about these works which eloquently discusses the road resurfacing in some detail. The Liberals may want to go on there and read it. This project will see improvements to road smoothness, protection and the extended life of the roads themselves.
The government is committed to investment in road maintenance using new and innovative road-building techniques. Experimentation and innovation have been a focus of the approach of Roads ACT to ensure that we have not only better roads but also a significantly reduced carbon footprint as well. The government has also been learning from other interstate and international jurisdictions’ best practice approaches to roads maintenance to enhance roads in the ACT.
It is important to note that our roads extend over 3,000 kilometres in length. As a result, it is a natural part of a road’s lifespan to become worn. This government’s plan for better road maintenance to combat the wearing of roads over time is to provide a fact-based and robust solution grounded in the latest technological advances to road resurfacing technologies. Our plan is inclusive of resurfacing techniques that are specifically designed to keep our roads in the best possible condition even when, as we have seen over the past couple of weeks, hot weather increases road surface temperatures to up to 60 degrees.
This government sees resurfacing as a crucial part of road maintenance with the goal of extending our roads by sometimes 10 to 15 years. This is achieved through a multi-step process to provide for a road that is hard wearing, skid resistant, quiet and smooth, but also to provide protection from water, wear and heat. This checklist is essential for the best quality of road. However, the difficulty of road maintenance is that the aforementioned criteria often compete with each other, that is to say, that road surfacing is not as easy as it sounds.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video