Page 1365 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
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MRS JONES: Minister, since the introduction of parking restrictions in Bulwarra Close how many parking infringement notices have been issued?
MR RAMSAY: I do not have that information in front of me but I am certainly happy to take that on notice and provide further information.
Roads—Monaro Highway
MR PETTERSSON: My question is to the Minister for Roads. Minister, what benefits will upgrading the Monaro Highway provide to Canberra?
MR STEEL: I thank Mr Pettersson for his question. I was really delighted to announce the release of the design tender for one of the ACT government’s major road projects just last month. The Monaro Highway upgrades represent major safety improvements to one of the key major road corridors for Canberra and our region.
The Monaro Highway upgrades are supported by a commitment of up to $100 million from the ACT government to match commonwealth funding. The upgrades will be designed to make our roads safer, improve traffic flow and capacity and augment this important freight corridor. This is particularly important because we know that currently 24,000 vehicles use this road each and every day and this will grow to 35,000 by 2031. Improving traffic flow and safety on this route will have significant local and regional benefits.
The first improvements on the stretch of the Monaro south of Canberra with detailed design work for an overtaking lane and median barrier treatments will occur on Royalla Drive and Williamsdale Road. Designs will look at best options for a northbound overtaking lane approximately one kilometre in length as well as various treatments that could be used to further separate north and southbound traffic, particularly heading down to the snow during the winter season. It is anticipated that construction of the overtaking lane and median improvements in that area will commence in the 2019-20 financial year.
Construction on other sections of the Monaro around Canberra is anticipated to occur in later years, and a key consideration of this work will be to minimise the impacts on road users. I look forward to keeping Canberrans updated on the progress of the final design work to improve safety and traffic conditions on this important road corridor, particularly for the south side.
MR PETTERSSON: Minister, how will these upgrades improve traffic flow for south-side Canberrans?
MR STEEL: The Monaro Highway is a major freight and tourism route, and it also carries a large number of commuters from Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong as well as Canberra’s southern suburbs. These upgrades will improve traffic flow for Canberrans on the south side by providing a consistent speed limit and reducing the bottlenecks that currently slow down commuters on the road.
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